[MonoDevelop] Git add-in

[Lluis Sanchez Gual]

El dc 28 de 07 de 2010 a les 10:41 -0400, en/na Dale Ragan va escriure:
> > So the Git add-in can be used pretty much like the Subversion add-in.
> The only big difference is that changes have to be explicitly pushed to
> the remote repository using the Push command. Feedback about how to
> improve this workflow is welcome.
> >
> I see you are finding the issues that I was faced with when I started on
> this venture.  I'm glad you're back, so we can work on this together. 
> Here are some ideas that I came up with while thinking about this feature
> over the last month:
> 
> Since we will be shipping two version control systems out of the box now,
> I think it would be beneficial to set a setting on which Version Control
> System MonoDevelop should use by default.

This is not necessary because MD already detects which project is using
which version control system. Options shown in the context menu can be
specific to the version control of the project.

If you are concerned about the Checkout command, which has a special
meaning in git, we can change the name and use something more explicit
like "Get Project from Repository" or something like that.

>   Then when opening existing
> projects we can scan for the system being used and set this value.  This
> will simplify and allow segregation of the commands and not present
> options that are not valid based on the system being used.  This will also
> allow us to add configuration settings for the Version Control System that
> the user can set.  For instance, one feature I had in mind, which looks
> like you implemented an early version of, is to display the current branch
> beside the solution name.  A configuration setting could actually
> customize the output of that string.  This would also be a good place to
> set globally the files to ignore automatically when creating a new
> repository.

This can be done without having to set a default VC system. Specific VCS
can extend the solution pad and customize it however they want, just
like I did with the branch label in the solution node.

> 
> The commands available in the context menu should be in sync with the
> command line options.  This helps with uniformity and makes going back and
> forth a lot easier.  It will also enhance the workflow by presenting
> commands in a way that are already familiar with the command line and vice
> versa.

I disagree with that point of view. The goal of an IDE is to simplify
the development process. If we replicate every single git command, we
are not simplifying, we are exposing all the complexity of git.

As a user I don't want to have to deal with the complexity of git every
day. There are only a few commands I need to use in everyday work
(review changes, commit changes, update from repo). I want MD to take
the correct decisions for me in order to perform those operations with
git. In case I need to do more advanced git operations, I can always
open a console and use the git command.

> 
> Here's a list of commands that I think should be implemented:
> 
>   File Menu
>     Initialize - Create a new git repository

We can create a new "Create repository" command, which can also be
implemented for SVN.

>     Clone - Clone an existing git repository

It is the Checkout command, which can be renamed to "Get Project from
Repository", shared with SVN.

> 
>   Project Context Menu
>     Commit - Commit changed files to local repository allowing the user to
> check which changes to stage for the commit

This is the current Review Changes view and the Commit command.

>     Push - Push changes to remote repository

This command is new and specific to Git. Ok to add it.

>     Pull - Pull changes from remote repository
>     Fetch - Fetch changes from remote repository

Pull and Fetch are implemented by the "Update" command, so there is no
need to have them as separate commands.

>     Create Branch - Create a new branch
>     Checkout Branch - Checkout an existing branch
>     Merge - Merge changes from one branch to another

We can have a branch manager for doing those operations.

>     Create Tag - Create a new Tag

We can add this command.

>     Log - View commit log

That's the existing Log command.

>     Reset HEAD - Revert changes to last commit

There is a Revert command in the SVN add-in which can be generalized.

>     Stash - Stash changes and reverting to last commit
>     UnStash - Unstash a stash object

I'm not sure we need those. MD can automatically use stash for the most
common operations, such as when pulling or when switching branches.

>     Add - Add changes files to staging

I don't think the concept of "stagging" is really useful in the IDE.
Stagging is useful in the command line because it allows you to select
what do you want to commit. But the IDE already has a GUI for selecting
what to commit (the review changes view), so this command is not
necessary.

>     Ignore - Add file to .gitignore
>     Apply Patch - Apply a patch to current branch

We don't have those commands, but it might be useful to have them for
both SVN and Git.

>     Create Patch - Create a patch based on last commit

Already exists.

> 
> A pad for the history view showing the commits for the current branch. 
> This feature will present the commits in a nice and readable format.  The
> user will then be allowed to view changes for a commit and compare.

This is the Log command. This command, when executed on a directory,
used to show the commit history, but this seems to be broken in trunk.

> 
> A pad for managing Git repositories.  This feature will present the .git
> directory in an easy to read and presentable way allowing management of
> remotes and branches for instance.

Ok, although it would be a dialog, not a pad.

> 
> Of course this isn't everything probably, but just a short list of
> features that I planned on doing.  Any other thoughts?

That's all!
Lluis.