[git-buildpackage] Feature Request: auto-detect patches from diff between upstream and debian

[calumlikesapplepie at gmail.com]

As far as I can tell (and I might be horribly misinterpreting git-
buildpackage workflows), if I need to make changes to the original
source, I need to constantly be checking into a temporary patch-queue
branch to do my work.  As an avid user of git, this doesn't really
match with how I like to work.

I like to be able to see a complete log of my changes as persistent git
objects, because I am in the unfortunate habit of making mistakes and
wanting to rewind.  I think the experience of git-buildpackage could be
much improved if that was allowed.

Here's how I propose letting developers commit as-they-please, and then
working around their changes:

1. Add a new subcommand to gbp-pq: generate (or perhaps a whole new gbp
subcommand), which takes the upstream-branch, the debian-branch, and
determines the commits that debian-branch has but upstream lacks.  It
then selects those commands which change files outside of debian/, and
formats patches for those changes (as it does now, in git-pq).  It adds
those patches to Debian/patches, as it would normally.

The result would be that I can make changes and refinements to my
package without needing to track which branch I am working in.

It is possible that the same could be accomplished without even the
additional subcommand, simply by changing the basis of the comparison.
If when git-pq exports, it compares commits relative to upstream-branch 
instead of debian-branch, you'd get the same benefit.

I would be willing to implement this if need be, but I figured a
discussion on how and whether would be good to have beforehand.

Thanks, 
Calum M
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 833 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
URL: <http://lists.sigxcpu.org/pipermail/git-buildpackage/attachments/20201006/c8da3eb8/attachment.sig>