Git log in JSON format (opens in new tab)

(gist.github.com)

40 pointsadonisk10y ago15 comments

15 comments

m1el10y ago

Every time I see people using printf to generate structured data formats, a part of me dies inside.

Here's how I would do it, using libgit2 and proper JSON output: https://gist.github.com/m1el/42472327b4be382b02eb

Every time I see this pattern, a part of me dies inside.

    collection = []
    for i in data:
        collection.append(fn(i))

Why not just

    [fn(i) for i in data] ?

m1el10y ago

You are right, list comprehension are cool and I often use them.

However, in this particular case, IMO, it would make things worse because I would have to write a multi-line list comprehension. Multi-line list comprehensions have bad readability. The object literal is too big to be included in list comprehension.

I could move commit->object conversion to a function, but then I would have used map. And it would have created one more indirection.

The current state is my deliberate choice.

zokier10y ago

If we are nitpicking then why not

    map(fn, data)

?

1 more reply

wingerlang10y ago

First example is way, WAY, more readable. Honestly, if I didn't read the first one I would probably not have figured out what the other one does without research.

1 more reply

rossy10y ago

> What if there's a double quote in a commit message?

This is what I want to know too. Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't do any escaping. The last time I did something like this, I used %n and %x00 to delimit the output of git log, and converted it to a JavaScript object on the JavaScript side. Git log isn't smart enough to write JSON by itself.

tracker110y ago

Agreed on better output to text, then process, but I'd suggest the record & group separators... It always surprises me when people use more exotic characters for something that's been defined forever (practically) in computer terms for this purpose.

http://www.theasciicode.com.ar/ascii-control-characters/reco...

lmitchell10y ago

I did something very similar for work last summer and we basically realized the same thing - null-delimited fields seemed like the only way to really be safe.

pjtr10y ago

Mercurial has a properly designed extensible generic template system for that built-in.

  hg log -T json
  hg log -T xml
  hg status -T json
  hg tags -T json
  ...

lowmagnet10y ago

Only somewhat related, the really neat tool code-maat[0] can do a lot with your commit data, but it uses plain CSV. It provides a bunch of canned reports you can run on your repo as well.

[0] https://github.com/adamtornhill/code-maat

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15 comments

m1el10y ago

Every time I see people using printf to generate structured data formats, a part of me dies inside.

Here's how I would do it, using libgit2 and proper JSON output: https://gist.github.com/m1el/42472327b4be382b02eb

jaseemabid10y ago

Every time I see this pattern, a part of me dies inside.

    collection = []
    for i in data:
        collection.append(fn(i))

Why not just

    [fn(i) for i in data] ?

m1el10y ago

You are right, list comprehension are cool and I often use them.

I could move commit->object conversion to a function, but then I would have used map. And it would have created one more indirection.

The current state is my deliberate choice.

zokier10y ago

If we are nitpicking then why not

    map(fn, data)

?

1 more reply

wingerlang10y ago

First example is way, WAY, more readable. Honestly, if I didn't read the first one I would probably not have figured out what the other one does without research.

1 more reply

rossy10y ago

> What if there's a double quote in a commit message?

tracker110y ago

http://www.theasciicode.com.ar/ascii-control-characters/reco...

lmitchell10y ago

I did something very similar for work last summer and we basically realized the same thing - null-delimited fields seemed like the only way to really be safe.

pjtr10y ago

Mercurial has a properly designed extensible generic template system for that built-in.

  hg log -T json
  hg log -T xml
  hg status -T json
  hg tags -T json
  ...

lowmagnet10y ago

Only somewhat related, the really neat tool code-maat[0] can do a lot with your commit data, but it uses plain CSV. It provides a bunch of canned reports you can run on your repo as well.

[0] https://github.com/adamtornhill/code-maat

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse