summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/Misc
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorGreg Price <gnprice@gmail.com>2019-09-11 09:25:26 (GMT)
committerZachary Ware <zachary.ware@gmail.com>2019-09-11 09:25:26 (GMT)
commit455122a0094c8cfdf7e062eccc5e5b5885c75e8b (patch)
tree614cc88f2c4b77bdf6438559e3047c0bdf39d819 /Misc
parent580d2782f70f8e0bed7ec20abb03d740cb83b5da (diff)
downloadcpython-455122a0094c8cfdf7e062eccc5e5b5885c75e8b.zip
cpython-455122a0094c8cfdf7e062eccc5e5b5885c75e8b.tar.gz
cpython-455122a0094c8cfdf7e062eccc5e5b5885c75e8b.tar.bz2
bpo-37936: Systematically distinguish rooted vs. unrooted in .gitignore (GH-15823)
A root cause of bpo-37936 is that it's easy to write a .gitignore rule that's intended to apply to a specific file (e.g., the `pyconfig.h` generated by `./configure`) but actually applies to all similarly-named files in the tree (e.g., `PC/pyconfig.h`.) Specifically, any rule with no non-trailing slashes is applied in an "unrooted" way, to files anywhere in the tree. This means that if we write the rules in the most obvious-looking way, then * for specific files we want to ignore that happen to be in subdirectories (like `Modules/config.c`), the rule will work as intended, staying "rooted" to the top of the tree; but * when a specific file we want to ignore happens to be at the root of the repo (like `platform`), then the obvious rule (`platform`) will apply much more broadly than intended: if someone tries to add a file or directory named `platform` somewhere else in the tree, it will unexpectedly get ignored. That's surprising behavior that can make the .gitignore file's behavior feel finicky and unpredictable. To avoid it, we can simply always give a rule "rooted" behavior when that's what's intended, by systematically using leading slashes. Further, to help make the pattern obvious when looking at the file and minimize any need for thinking about the syntax when adding new rules: separate the rules into one group for each type, with brief comments identifying them. For most of these rules it's clear whether they're meant to be rooted or unrooted, but in a handful of cases I've only guessed. In that case the safer default (the choice that won't hide information) is the narrower, rooted meaning, with a leading slash. If for some of these the unrooted meaning is desired after all, it'll be easy to move them to the unrooted section at the top.
Diffstat (limited to 'Misc')
-rw-r--r--Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2019-09-10-00-54-48.bpo-37936.E7XEwu.rst5
1 files changed, 5 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2019-09-10-00-54-48.bpo-37936.E7XEwu.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2019-09-10-00-54-48.bpo-37936.E7XEwu.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ded61e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2019-09-10-00-54-48.bpo-37936.E7XEwu.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+The :file:`.gitignore` file systematically keeps "rooted", with a
+non-trailing slash, all the rules that are meant to apply to files in a
+specific place in the repo. Previously, when the intended file to ignore
+happened to be at the root of the repo, we'd most often accidentally also
+ignore files and directories with the same name anywhere in the tree.