[PATCH 0/3] Rework git-diff algorithm selection

@@ -155,3 +155,20 @@ diff.tool::
 	"kompare".  Any other value is treated as a custom diff tool,
 	and there must be a corresponding `difftool.<tool>.cmd`
 	option.
+
+diff.algorithm::
+	Choose a diff algorithm.  The variants are as follows:
++
+--
+`myers`;;
+	The basic greedy diff algorithm.
+`minimal`;;
+	Spend extra time to make sure the smallest possible diff is
+	produced.
+`patience`;;
+	Use "patience diff" algorithm when generating patches.
+`histogram`;;
+	This algorithm extends the patience algorithm to "support
+	low-occurrence common elements".
+--
++

@@ -1839,6 +1839,7 @@ _git_config ()
 		diff.suppressBlankEmpty
 		diff.tool
 		diff.wordRegex
+		diff.algorithm
 		difftool.
 		difftool.prompt
 		fetch.recurseSubmodules

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ static int diff_no_prefix;
 static int diff_stat_graph_width;
 static int diff_dirstat_permille_default = 30;
 static struct diff_options default_diff_options;
+static long diff_algorithm = 0;
 
 static char diff_colors[][COLOR_MAXLEN] = {
 	GIT_COLOR_RESET,

@@ -143,6 +144,20 @@ static int git_config_rename(const char *var, const char *value)
 	return git_config_bool(var,value) ? DIFF_DETECT_RENAME : 0;
 }
 
+static long parse_algorithm_value(const char *value)
+{
+	if (!value || !strcasecmp(value, "myers"))
+		return 0;
+	else if (!strcasecmp(value, "minimal"))
+		return XDF_NEED_MINIMAL;
+	else if (!strcasecmp(value, "patience"))
+		return XDF_PATIENCE_DIFF;
+	else if (!strcasecmp(value, "histogram"))
+		return XDF_HISTOGRAM_DIFF;
+	else
+		return -1;
+}
+
 /*
  * These are to give UI layer defaults.
  * The core-level commands such as git-diff-files should

@@ -196,6 +211,13 @@ int git_diff_ui_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.algorithm")) {
+		diff_algorithm = parse_algorithm_value(value);
+		if (diff_algorithm < 0)
+			return -1;
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	if (git_color_config(var, value, cb) < 0)
 		return -1;
 

@@ -3213,6 +3235,7 @@ void diff_setup(struct diff_options *options)
 	options->add_remove = diff_addremove;
 	options->use_color = diff_use_color_default;
 	options->detect_rename = diff_detect_rename_default;
+	options->xdl_opts |= diff_algorithm;
 
 	if (diff_no_prefix) {
 		options->a_prefix = options->b_prefix = "";

@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ ifndef::git-format-patch[]
 	Synonym for `-p --raw`.
 endif::git-format-patch[]
 
+The next three options are kept for compatibility reason. You should use the
+`--diff-algorithm` option instead.
+
 --minimal::
 	Spend extra time to make sure the smallest possible
 	diff is produced.

@@ -55,6 +58,25 @@ endif::git-format-patch[]
 --histogram::
 	Generate a diff using the "histogram diff" algorithm.
 
+--diff-algorithm={patience|minimal|histogram|myers}::
+	Choose a diff algorithm. The variants are as follows:
++
+--
+`myers`;;
+	The basic greedy diff algorithm.
+`minimal`;;
+	Spend extra time to make sure the smallest possible diff is
+	produced.
+`patience`;;
+	Use "patience diff" algorithm when generating patches.
+`histogram`;;
+	This algorithm extends the patience algorithm to "support
+	low-occurrence common elements".
+--
++
+You should prefer this option over the `--minimal`, `--patience` and
+`--histogram` which are kept just for backwards compatibility.
+
 --stat[=<width>[,<name-width>[,<count>]]]::
 	Generate a diffstat. By default, as much space as necessary
 	will be used for the filename part, and the rest for the graph

@@ -1021,6 +1021,8 @@ _git_describe ()
 	__gitcomp_nl "$(__git_refs)"
 }
 
+__git_diff_algorithms="myers minimal patience histogram"
+
 __git_diff_common_options="--stat --numstat --shortstat --summary
 			--patch-with-stat --name-only --name-status --color
 			--no-color --color-words --no-renames --check

@@ -1035,6 +1037,7 @@ __git_diff_common_options="--stat --numstat --shortstat --summary
 			--raw
 			--dirstat --dirstat= --dirstat-by-file
 			--dirstat-by-file= --cumulative
+			--diff-algorithm=
 "
 
 _git_diff ()

@@ -1042,6 +1045,10 @@ _git_diff ()
 	__git_has_doubledash && return
 
 	case "$cur" in
+	--diff-algorithm=*)
+		__gitcomp "$__git_diff_algorithms" "" "${cur##--diff-algorithm=}"
+		return
+		;;
 	--*)
 		__gitcomp "--cached --staged --pickaxe-all --pickaxe-regex
 			--base --ours --theirs --no-index

@@ -2114,6 +2121,10 @@ _git_show ()
 			" "" "${cur#*=}"
 		return
 		;;
+	--diff-algorithm=*)
+		__gitcomp "$__git_diff_algorithms" "" "${cur##--diff-algorithm=}"
+		return
+		;;
 	--*)
 		__gitcomp "--pretty= --format= --abbrev-commit --oneline
 			$__git_diff_common_options

@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ static int git_config_rename(const char *var, const char *value)
 	return git_config_bool(var,value) ? DIFF_DETECT_RENAME : 0;
 }
 
-static long parse_algorithm_value(const char *value)
+long parse_algorithm_value(const char *value)
 {
 	if (!value || !strcasecmp(value, "myers"))
 		return 0;

@@ -3633,6 +3633,16 @@ int diff_opt_parse(struct diff_options *options, const char **av, int ac)
 		options->xdl_opts = DIFF_WITH_ALG(options, PATIENCE_DIFF);
 	else if (!strcmp(arg, "--histogram"))
 		options->xdl_opts = DIFF_WITH_ALG(options, HISTOGRAM_DIFF);
+	else if (!prefixcmp(arg, "--diff-algorithm=")) {
+		long value = parse_algorithm_value(arg+17);
+		if (value < 0)
+			return error("option diff-algorithm accepts \"myers\", "
+				     "\"minimal\", \"patience\" and \"histogram\"");
+		/* clear out previous settings */
+		DIFF_XDL_CLR(options, NEED_MINIMAL);
+		options->xdl_opts &= ~XDF_DIFF_ALGORITHM_MASK;
+		options->xdl_opts |= value;
+	}
 
 	/* flags options */
 	else if (!strcmp(arg, "--binary")) {

@@ -333,6 +333,8 @@ extern struct userdiff_driver *get_textconv(struct diff_filespec *one);
 
 extern int parse_rename_score(const char **cp_p);
 
+extern long parse_algorithm_value(const char *value);
+
 extern int print_stat_summary(FILE *fp, int files,
 			      int insertions, int deletions);
 extern void setup_diff_pager(struct diff_options *);

@@ -2068,6 +2068,12 @@ int parse_merge_opt(struct merge_options *o, const char *s)
 		o->xdl_opts = DIFF_WITH_ALG(o, PATIENCE_DIFF);
 	else if (!strcmp(s, "histogram"))
 		o->xdl_opts = DIFF_WITH_ALG(o, HISTOGRAM_DIFF);
+	else if (!strcmp(s, "diff-algorithm=")) {
+		long value = parse_algorithm_value(s+15);
+		if (value < 0)
+			return -1;
+		o->xdl_opts |= value;
+	}
 	else if (!strcmp(s, "ignore-space-change"))
 		o->xdl_opts |= XDF_IGNORE_WHITESPACE_CHANGE;
 	else if (!strcmp(s, "ignore-all-space"))

@@ -1031,7 +1031,7 @@ __git_diff_common_options="--stat --numstat --shortstat --summary
 			--no-ext-diff
 			--no-prefix --src-prefix= --dst-prefix=
 			--inter-hunk-context=
-			--patience
+			--patience --histogram --minimal
 			--raw
 			--dirstat --dirstat= --dirstat-by-file
 			--dirstat-by-file= --cumulative