Re: [PATCH] add new options to git format-patch: --cover-subject and --cover-blurb

Junio C Hamano wrote:

Larry D'Anna [off-list ref] writes:

quoted

1) make your branch

2) git format-patch --cover-letter

3) edit the cover letter

3) review the series, and realize you need to fix something, fix it.

Hmph, this begs a natural question: why didn't you review and realize that
in step (1)?

One answer: writing a cover letter forces one to reflect a little.
Perhaps that is why the cover letter and review share step 3. ;-)

It might be sufficient for format-patch to notice a 0000-cover file that
is already there, read the subject and blurb part and carry that forward,
instead of unconditionally writing "*** SUBJECT HERE ***" and stuff.  That
way, the user does not have to prepare a separate file before running
format-patch.

FWIW I think this sounds sane and would be happy to see this feature.

Jonathan

By scanning from the bottom of the existing 0000-cover file, skipping
diffstat part (easy to spot with regexp) and then skip backwards a block
of text whose lines are one of:

 (1) two space indented---that's one-line-per-commit;

 (2) empty line---separator; or

 (3) unindented line that ends with '(' number ')' ':'---the author.

The remainder would be the BLURB.  And you know it is much easier to find
where the Subject: is ;-)