[PATCH] util: set the hidden attribute on .hg/ during creation on windows (issue4178)

Matt Mackall mpm at selenic.com
Fri Mar 7 15:54:08 CST 2014


On Fri, 2014-03-07 at 16:10 -0500, Augie Fackler wrote:
> On Mar 7, 2014, at 2:43 PM, Matt Mackall <mpm at selenic.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, 2014-02-21 at 16:31 +0000, Ed Morley wrote:
> >> # HG changeset patch
> >> # User Ed Morley <emorley at mozilla.com>
> >> # Date 1392999130 0
> >> #      Fri Feb 21 16:12:10 2014 +0000
> >> # Node ID e74d0479759cbea6edb632273345d55f96374d70
> >> # Parent  0e2877f8605dcaf4fdf2ab7e0046f1f6f80161dd
> >> util: set the hidden attribute on .hg/ during creation on windows (issue4178)
> >> 
> >> Windows has no concept of dotfiles/directories being hidden - instead, it
> >> requires that a file-is-hidden attribute be set. This patch adds an optional
> >> parameter to util.makedir/util.makedirs - which is used to set the hidden
> >> attribute when the .hg directory is created on Windows.
> >> 
> >> This has the advantage that both the OS filesystem search & also editors
> >> grepping repositories can easily exclude the .hg directory, without needing to
> >> exclude it manually every time.
> > 
> > I think 9 years in, this is probably too surprising a change. We could
> > have done this out of the gate.. but no one cared enough to even mention
> > it for the first 7 years.
> 
> OOC, why? It's already hidden on all other platforms, and that strikes
> me as a Good Thing.

Why what? Why has basically no one cared to date? I can't answer that.

Why is it too big of a surprise? Because suddenly you can't navigate
to .hg/hgrc in Explorer and file|open dialogs in editors.

More generally, I'd say it's a matter of OS culture. Dealing with hidden
files is an everyday situation for typical Unix users, whereas I expect
it's a quite rare and surprising occurrence for Windows users. I think
if .hg suddenly disappears from new repos, the average Windows dev won't
just say "oh, it's probably just hidden now", instead they'll suffer
hours/days of confusion.

Since we have about two people in all of recorded history asking for it,
the cost/benefit does not appear (remotely) favorable.

-- 
Mathematics is the supreme nostalgia of our time.




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