Git reset -p on working tree

Often I find it useful to selectively undo the modifications that I did to my working tree. The -p option to 'reset' that selectively resets changes back to a given commit. Unfortunately the option reports itself to be incompatible with --{hard,soft,mixed} and thus can't be applied to working tree.

Right now I do this with vimdiff, by applying 'git diff' in reverse. Wish reset supports -p on working tree operations as well because the -p framework (of add, and reset) feels good to use.

Quoted 6 lines · Jeenu V

Often I find it useful to selectively undo the modifications that I did to my working tree. The -p option to 'reset' that selectively resets changes back to a given commit. Unfortunately the option reports itself to be incompatible with --{hard,soft,mixed} and thus can't be applied to working tree.

Quoted 3 lines

Right now I do this with vimdiff, by applying 'git diff' in reverse. Wish reset supports -p on working tree operations as well because the -p framework (of add, and reset) feels good to use.

there's git checkout -p to selectively remove changes from your working tree. (also git stash -p to selectively stash changes temporarily)

Quoted 7 lines · knittl

Quoted 3 lines

Right now I do this with vimdiff, by applying 'git diff' in reverse. Wish reset supports -p on working tree operations as well because the -p framework (of add, and reset) feels good to use.

there's git checkout -p to selectively remove changes from your working tree. (also git stash -p to selectively stash changes temporarily)

Surprised to know that checkout and stash supports it! Thanks a lot for pointing out.

Quoted 9 lines · Jeenu V

Quoted 7 lines · knittl

Quoted 3 lines

Right now I do this with vimdiff, by applying 'git diff' in reverse. Wish reset supports -p on working tree operations as well because the -p framework (of add, and reset) feels good to use.

there's git checkout -p to selectively remove changes from your working tree. (also git stash -p to selectively stash changes temporarily)

Quoted 2 lines

Surprised to know that checkout and stash supports it! Thanks a lot for pointing out.

I think Git could suggest 'checkout -p' and/or 'stash -p' when user tries to use -p with --{hard,soft,mixed} with reset command (in addition to mentioning that they're incompatible), since relatively new users are used to 'reset' than other commands to reset their working trees.

After running git reset <paths> to update the index entry, you can use git-checkout(1) to check the contents out of the index to the working tree. Alternatively, using git-checkout(1) and specifying a commit, you can copy the contents of a path out of a commit to the index and to the working tree in one go.

git reset seldomly affects the working tree, unless using --hard, --merge or --keep, and those switches are potentially dangerous if you are not aware of the implications to your worktree and index.

without options reset undoes a previous add, i.e. remove changes from the index, but not the working tree.

git reset manpage mentions git-checkout:

Quoted 8 lines · knittl

git reset seldomly affects the working tree, unless using --hard, --merge or --keep, and those switches are potentially dangerous if you are not aware of the implications to your worktree and index.

without options reset undoes a previous add, i.e. remove changes from the index, but not the working tree.

git reset manpage mentions git-checkout:

Agreed. What I'm saying is most manuals/guides out there tips user to use 'git reset --hard' to discard changes in the working directory and restore the pristine copy of files. 'reset' then becomes synonymous to discard, and it kind of is but for a different reason. Because other commands offer -p for selective operations, one might try to discard selectively, and end up using 'git reset -p --hard', which obviously isn't going to work.

Knowing the users intention in such cases, I was suggesting the error message could hint the right command (just like git commit hints user to use git-add when one does 'git commit' with a dirty working tree).

But that's just me.

builtin/reset.c int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix) · line 315

Quoted 13 lines · Štěpán Němec

builtin/reset.c +2 -1

index 0037be4..fc530d2 100644
@@ -309,7 +309,8 @@ int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	if (patch_mode) {
 		if (reset_type != NONE)
-			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}");
+			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}\n"
+			    "(use \"git checkout -p\" to selectively discard changes in working directory)");
 		return interactive_reset(rev, argv + i, prefix);
 	}

Should this actually print something different for --hard versus --mixed versus --soft?

For --soft, "-p" simply makes no sense as you are not changing the index or the working directory.

For --mixed, shouldn't we support "-p" already, as that is the default mode?

For --hard, suggesting "checkout -p" does make sense.

Also, what about "--merge" and "--keep" modes?

Quoted 27 lines · Jeff King

builtin/reset.c int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix) · line 315

Quoted 13 lines · Štěpán Němec

builtin/reset.c +2 -1

index 0037be4..fc530d2 100644
@@ -309,7 +309,8 @@ int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	if (patch_mode) {
 		if (reset_type != NONE)
-			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}");
+			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}\n"
+			    "(use \"git checkout -p\" to selectively discard changes in working directory)");
 		return interactive_reset(rev, argv + i, prefix);
 	}

Should this actually print something different for --hard versus --mixed versus --soft?

For --soft, "-p" simply makes no sense as you are not changing the index or the working directory.

For --mixed, shouldn't we support "-p" already, as that is the default mode?

For --hard, suggesting "checkout -p" does make sense.

Quoted 1 line

Also, what about "--merge" and "--keep" modes?

All good questions, most of which occured to me, too. What I was going to do based on the outcome of (the discussion of) this patch was at least fix the currently out-of-date "--{hard,mixed,soft}", as the error is signalled with the newer options (--keep and --merge) as well. I'm not sure I could cope with anything much more complicated than that, esp. if it involved adding some new reset functionality. :-)

Štěpán Němec venit, vidit, dixit 23.11.2010 16:23:

Quoted 16 lines

Quoted 15 lines · Jeff King

Quoted 13 lines · Štěpán Němec

builtin/reset.c +2 -1

index 0037be4..fc530d2 100644
@@ -309,7 +309,8 @@ int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	if (patch_mode) {
 		if (reset_type != NONE)
-			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}");
+			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}\n"
+			    "(use \"git checkout -p\" to selectively discard changes in working directory)");
 		return interactive_reset(rev, argv + i, prefix);
 	}

The man page for git-reset points at git-checkout already.

Until we have a "verbosity level" config across all commands, I don't favor adding a lot of hints to command error messages.

Quoted 17 lines · Michael J Gruber

Štěpán Němec venit, vidit, dixit 23.11.2010 16:23:

Quoted 16 lines

Quoted 15 lines · Jeff King

Quoted 13 lines · Štěpán Němec

builtin/reset.c +2 -1

index 0037be4..fc530d2 100644
@@ -309,7 +309,8 @@ int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	if (patch_mode) {
 		if (reset_type != NONE)
-			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}");
+			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}\n"
+			    "(use \"git checkout -p\" to selectively discard changes in working directory)");
 		return interactive_reset(rev, argv + i, prefix);
 	}

[...]

Quoted 1 line

Quoted 4 lines

The man page for git-reset points at git-checkout already.

Until we have a "verbosity level" config across all commands, I don't favor adding a lot of hints to command error messages.

Errrr... but we do have "verbosity level" config in the form of advice.* configuration variables.

Quoted 8 lines

Quoted 8 lines

builtin/reset.c int cmd_reset(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix) · line 317

Quoted 7 lines

builtin/reset.c +2 -1

 	if (patch_mode) {
 		if (reset_type != NONE)
-			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}");
+			die("--patch is incompatible with --{hard,mixed,soft}\n"
+			    "(use \"git checkout -p\" to selectively discard changes in working directory)");
 		return interactive_reset(rev, argv + i, prefix);
 	}

The man page for git-reset points at git-checkout already.

Until we have a "verbosity level" config across all commands, I don't favor adding a lot of hints to command error messages.

Quoted 4 lines

The man page for git-reset points at git-checkout already.

Until we have a "verbosity level" config across all commands, I don't favor adding a lot of hints to command error messages.

I agree for "regular output", but this case is an error message that users should never see. If you see the message, it means you tried a command that doesn't exist, and I can't imagine a case where this would be disturbing to get an informative message pointing to the right command.