Repository Reference Rollup (was Re: Repository referencing in command lines)

[Denys Duchier]

Vincent LADEUIL <v.ladeuil at alplog.fr> writes:

>     Denys> I don't get where repo:<repo_url>:<branch_name> is any
>     Denys> different from <repo_url>/<branch_name>
>
> 8-/ Because  both <repo_url> and <branch_name> can  contain '/' ?
> Because  ':'  can disambiguate  in  that  case  (and make  things
> clearer for both user and the programmer ) ?

To disambiguate, you'd need an ambiguity.  The only ambiguity I can think of
would be when you have nested repos:  <repo1>/A/<repo2> and you want to create a
new branch below <repo1>/A/<repo2> but with storage in <repo1>.  I hardly think
we need to devise new syntax just for this unlikely case (that quite possibly
won't be supported anyway).

> And easy  to confuse with other paths  representations (which you
> admit  yourself  by  adding  "Notice  the .../  prefix"  :)  (and
> ::<branch_name> is  also easy to type and  two characters shorter
> if you want to count :-)

I am fine with :: and I believe that ^ was also mentioned.  My only point was
that only a notation to say "figure it out" was needed, not a notation to
specify a pair (repo,branch) because we already have repo/branch for that and it
is not ambiguous because the branch designates its own repo (possibly
implicitly, but that's still not ambiguous).

Of course, it is entirely possible that I have missed the point :-/

Cheers,

--Denys