Signed-off-by: Elijah Newren <newren@xxxxxxxxx> --- .../technical/directory-rename-detection.txt | 92 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 92 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/technical/directory-rename-detection.txt diff --git a/Documentation/technical/directory-rename-detection.txt b/Documentation/technical/directory-rename-detection.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..6e22920a39 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/technical/directory-rename-detection.txt @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ +Directory rename detection +========================== + +Rename detection logic in diffcore-rename that checks for renames of +individual files is aggregated and analyzed in merge-recursive for cases +where combinations of renames indicate that a full directory has been +renamed. + +Scope of abilities +------------------ + +It is perhaps easiest to start with an example: + + * When all of x/a, x/b and x/c have moved to z/a, z/b and z/c, it is + likely that x/d added in the meantime would also want to move to z/d by + taking the hint that the entire directory 'x' moved to 'z'. + +More interesting possibilities exist, though, such as: + + * one side of history renames x -> z, and the other renames some file to + x/e, causing the need for the merge to do a transitive rename. + + * one side of history renames x -> z, but also renames all files within + x. For example, x/a -> z/alpha, x/b -> z/bravo, etc. + + * both 'x' and 'y' being merged into a single directory 'z', with a + directory rename being detected for both x->z and y->z. + + * not all files in a directory being renamed to the same location; + i.e. perhaps most the files in 'x' are now found under 'z', but a few + are found under 'w'. + + * a directory being renamed, which also contained a subdirectory that was + renamed to some entirely different location. (And perhaps the inner + directory itself contained inner directories that were renamed to yet + other locations). + + * combinations of the above; see t/t6043-merge-rename-directories.sh for + various interesting cases. + +Limitations -- applicability of directory renames +------------------------------------------------- + +In order to prevent edge and corner cases resulting in either conflicts +that cannot be represented in the index or which might be too complex for +users to try to understand and resolve, a couple basic rules limit when +directory rename detection applies: + + 1) If a given directory still exists on both sides of a merge, we do + not consider it to have been renamed. + + 2) If a subset of to-be-renamed files have a file or directory in the + way (or would be in the way of each other), "turn off" the directory + rename for those specific sub-paths and report the conflict to the + user. + + 3) If the other side of history did a directory rename to a path that + your side of history renamed away, then ignore that particular + rename from the other side of history for any implicit directory + renames (but warn the user). + +Limitations -- detailed rules and testcases +------------------------------------------- + +t/t6043-merge-rename-directories.sh contains extensive tests and commentary +which generate and explore the rules listed above. It also lists a few +additional rules: + + a) If renames split a directory into two or more others, the directory + with the most renames, "wins". + + b) Avoid directory-rename-detection for a path, if that path is the + source of a rename on either side of a merge. + + c) Only apply implicit directory renames to directories if the other side + of history is the one doing the renaming. + +Limitations -- support in different commands +-------------------------------------------- + +Directory rename detection is supported by 'merge' and 'cherry-pick'. +Other git commands which users might be surprised to see limited or no +directory rename detection support in: + + * diff + + Folks have requested in the past that `git diff` detect directory + renames and somehow simplify its output. It is not clear whether this + would be desirable or how the output should be simplified, so this was + simply not implemented. Further, to implement this, directory rename + detection logic would need to move from merge-recursive to + diffcore-rename. -- 2.18.0.9.g431b2c36d5
