Teng Long [off-list ref] writes:

quoted

A better name, anybody?

This bit is to keep track of the fact that we made _some_ output
already so any further output needs an inter-field space before
writing what it wants to write out.

I found a word "interspace", it looks like a little better than the old
one. I will rename to it in next patch, and If there's a better idea,
will apply further.

Yeah, it really is needs_inter_field_space but that is way too long.

quoted

We need to stop using write_name_quoted_relative() in SHOW_FILE_NAME
part, because the helper insists that the name written by it must be
at the end of the entry, if we go that route, but it may be a good
change in the longer term.

Let me try to represent to make sure I understand your suggestion
sufficiently.

"write_name_quoted_relative" is used to compute the relative file name
by "prefix" and output the name and a line termination to the given FD.

We do not want use "write_name_quoted_relative" in here because the
function alway output a line termination after "name", this may bring
some inconvenience because the "name" may not be the last field in the
future.

So, instead:

We need to calculate the file name (relative path and quotes if need)
without "write_name_quoted_relative"  and then output the line
termination before return.

I think we are on the same page.  We can work backwards, I think.

We have a repetitive

        if (mode should be shown) {
                show mode;
                record that we have already shown something;
        }
        if (type should be shown) {
                give inter-field-space if we have shown something;
                show type;
                record that we have already shown something;
        }
        ...

that ends with

        if (name should be shown) {
                give inter-field-space if we have shown something;
                show name PLUS line termination;
	}

But if we can make the last step to

        if (name should be shown) {
                give inter-field-space if we have shown something;
                show name;
	}

	give line termination;

it gets easier to support a combination that does not show name, and
we can have inter-record separator.

But write_name_quoted_relative() does not give the caller a choice
to have no terminator, so we need to do something like this:

	if (shown_bits & SHOW_FILE_NAME) {
		const char *name;
                struct strbuf name_buf = STRBUF_INIT;

		if (follow)
			printf("\t");
		baselen = base->len;
		strbuf_addstr(base, pathname);
                
		name = relative_path(base->buf, 
				     chomp_prefix ? ls_tree_prefix : NULL,
                                     &name_buf);
		if (line_termination)
			quote_c_style(name, NULL, stdout, 0);
		else
			fputs(name, stdout);
		strbuf_release(&name_buf);
		strbuf_setlen(base, baselen);
	}

I initially thought that extending write_name_quoted() and
write_name_quoted_relative() to accept a special value or two for
terminator to tell it not to add terminator would be sufficient (see
below).  I however think it is way too ugly to have the "add no
terminator and do not quote" option at write_name_quoted() level,
simply because the caller that chooses as-is can simply do fputs()
itself without bothering to use write_name_quoted().  So I am not
convinced that it will a good idea.

If we were to go that "ugly helper" route, the above can become even
simpler and closer to what you originally wrote, e.g.

	if (shown_bits & SHOW_FILE_NAME) {
		if (follow)
			printf("\t");
		baselen = base->len;
		strbuf_addstr(base, pathname);
		write_name_quoted_relative(base->buf,
					   chomp_prefix ? ls_tree_prefix : NULL,
					   stdout,
                                           line_termination 
                                           ? CQ_NO_TERMINATOR_C_QUOTED
                                           : CQ_NO_TERMINATOR_AS_IS);
		strbuf_setlen(base, baselen);
	}


 quote.c |  5 +++--
 quote.h | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git c/quote.c w/quote.c
index 26719d21d1..cbbcd8563f 100644
--- c/quote.c
+++ w/quote.c

@@ -340,12 +340,13 @@ void quote_two_c_style(struct strbuf *sb, const char *prefix, const char *path,
 
 void write_name_quoted(const char *name, FILE *fp, int terminator)
 {
-	if (terminator) {
+	if (0 < terminator || terminator == CQ_NO_TERMINATOR_C_QUOTED) {
 		quote_c_style(name, NULL, fp, 0);
 	} else {
 		fputs(name, fp);
 	}
-	fputc(terminator, fp);
+	if (0 <= terminator)
+		fputc(terminator, fp);
 }
 
 void write_name_quoted_relative(const char *name, const char *prefix,

diff --git c/quote.h w/quote.h
index 87ff458b06..5c8c7cf952 100644
--- c/quote.h
+++ w/quote.h

@@ -85,7 +85,26 @@ int unquote_c_style(struct strbuf *, const char *quoted, const char **endp);
 size_t quote_c_style(const char *name, struct strbuf *, FILE *, unsigned);
 void quote_two_c_style(struct strbuf *, const char *, const char *, unsigned);
 
+/*
+ * Write a name, typically a filename, followed by a terminator that
+ * separates it from what comes next.
+ * When terminator is NUL, the name is given as-is.  Otherwise, the
+ * name is c-quoted, suitable for text output.  HT and LF are typical
+ * values used for the terminator, but other positive values are possible.
+ *
+ * In addition to non-negative values two special values in terminator
+ * are possible.
+ * -1: show the name c-quoted, without adding any terminator.
+ * -2: show the name as-is, without adding any terminator.
+ */
+#define CQ_NO_TERMINATOR_C_QUOTED	(-1)
+#define CQ_NO_TERMINATOR_AS_IS		(-2)
 void write_name_quoted(const char *name, FILE *, int terminator);
+
+/*
+ * Similar to the above, but the name is first made relative to the prefix
+ * before being shown.
+ */ 
 void write_name_quoted_relative(const char *name, const char *prefix,
 				FILE *fp, int terminator);