branch: deprecate "-l" optionjk/branch-l-0-deprecation

The "-l" option is short for "--create-reflog". This has
caused much confusion over the years. Most people expect it
to work as "--list", because that would match the other
"mode" options like -d/--delete and -m/--move, as well as
the similar -l/--list option of git-tag.

Adding to the confusion, using "-l" _appears_ to work as
"--list" in some cases:

  $ git branch -l
  * master

because the branch command defaults to listing (so even
trying to specify --list in the command above is redundant).
But that may bite the user later when they add a pattern,
like:

  $ git branch -l foo

which does not return an empty list, but in fact creates a
new branch (with a reflog, naturally) called "foo".

It's also probably quite uncommon for people to actually use
"-l" to create a reflog. Since 0bee591869 (Enable reflogs by
default in any repository with a working directory.,
2006-12-14), this is the default in non-bare repositories.
So it's rather unfortunate that the feature squats on the
short-and-sweet "-l" (which was only added in 3a4b3f269c
(Create/delete branch ref logs., 2006-05-19), meaning there
were only 7 months where it was actually useful).

Let's deprecate "-l" in hopes of eventually dropping it
(it's a little too soon to repurpose it to "--list", but we
may even do that eventually).

Signed-off-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Reviewed-by: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
Reviewed-by: Jacob Keller <jacob.keller@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

2 files changed, 18 insertions, 2 deletions

diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.txt b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
index b3084c99c1..b959df1cbf 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-branch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ OPTIONS
 -D::
 	Shortcut for `--delete --force`.
 
--l::
 --create-reflog::
 	Create the branch's reflog.  This activates recording of
 	all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
@@ -101,6 +100,8 @@ OPTIONS
 	The negated form `--no-create-reflog` only overrides an earlier
 	`--create-reflog`, but currently does not negate the setting of
 	`core.logAllRefUpdates`.
++
+The `-l` option is a deprecated synonym for `--create-reflog`.
 
 -f::
 --force::
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 6d0cea9d4b..e50a5a1680 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -570,6 +570,15 @@ static int edit_branch_description(const char *branch_name)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int deprecated_reflog_option_cb(const struct option *opt,
+				       const char *arg, int unset)
+{
+	warning("the '-l' alias for '--create-reflog' is deprecated;");
+	warning("it will be removed in a future version of Git");
+	*(int *)opt->value = !unset;
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int cmd_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	int delete = 0, rename = 0, copy = 0, force = 0, list = 0;
@@ -612,7 +621,13 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_BIT('c', "copy", &copy, N_("copy a branch and its reflog"), 1),
 		OPT_BIT('C', NULL, &copy, N_("copy a branch, even if target exists"), 2),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "list", &list, N_("list branch names")),
-		OPT_BOOL('l', "create-reflog", &reflog, N_("create the branch's reflog")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "create-reflog", &reflog, N_("create the branch's reflog")),
+		{
+			OPTION_CALLBACK, 'l', NULL, &reflog, NULL,
+			N_("deprecated synonym for --create-reflog"),
+			PARSE_OPT_NOARG | PARSE_OPT_HIDDEN,
+			deprecated_reflog_option_cb
+		},
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "edit-description", &edit_description,
 			 N_("edit the description for the branch")),
 		OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("force creation, move/rename, deletion"), PARSE_OPT_NOCOMPLETE),