newren/git-filter-repo

Document that --refs parameters cannot start with a hyphen

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#469 opened on May 20, 2023

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Description

Found beside another issue: https://github.com/newren/git-filter-repo/issues/468

If use --refs as range parameter just like in the git filter-branch:

git-filter-repo-replace-text.sh:

function call()
{
  local IFS=$' \t'
  echo ">$*"
  "$@"
}

expressions_text="$1"

TEMP_OUTPUT_FILE=`mktemp -t git_filter_repo_update_file_text.XXXXXXXXXX`

# cleanup on return
trap "rm -rf \"$TEMP_OUTPUT_FILE\" 2> /dev/null; trap - RETURN" RETURN

call git-filter-repo-replace-text --replace-text "$TEMP_OUTPUT_FILE" "${@:2}"

git-filter-repo-replace-text "<p/>==></p>" --refs master --not t1^@

>git filter-repo --replace-text /tmp/git_filter_repo_update_file_text.wSOPH7Vu7j --refs master --not t1^@
git-filter-repo: error: unrecognized arguments: --not t1^@

I know it has to be a bit corrected:

git-filter-repo-replace-text.sh "<p/>==></p>" --refs master ^t1^@

But nevertheless --refs is not completely compatible with the git rev-list format.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate how the refs argument is parsed in git filter repo. Look at the argument parsing logic (likely in the main script) to see why values starting with a hyphen (e.g., not) are misinterpreted as flags. Trace the code path to understand how to pass such values correctly, and consider whether a fix should escape or separate them. Also check if there is existing documentation mentioning this limitation.
Tech stack
python
Domain
backendcli
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
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Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
Git
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60