Thanks all for your replies to this. I hoped that --name-only could show when
a filename was removed, as well as when it was added. If you delete a
file in one commit then add it with a new name in the next, both
filenames appear in the log. If these happen in a single commit, only
one does. And in fact it's not predictable whether you will get one
filename or two: it depends on rename detection. Sometimes if a file is
changed and moved to a new name, git log --name-only will show only the
new name in the log, but at other times, if git doesn't detect it as a
rename, both filenames appear. This feels more like an implementation
detail than a deliberate choice.
I accept that scripts may rely on the current behaviour, though I would
be surprised to find a script that depended on *not* seeing the old
filename printed.
Anyway, if it shouldn't change, or if it cannot change because of backwards compatibility, the manual page could be improved:
--name-only
Show only names of changed or added files.
If a file is removed, its name is also printed, unless this is detected
as a rename, in which case only the new name is printed.
That would be enough to direct users towards something more suitable like --compact-summary.
