view tests/test-ui-verbosity.py.out @ 30152:d65e246100ed

help: backout f3c4edfd35e1 (mark boolean flags with [no-] in help) for now

The ability to negate any boolean flags itself is great, but I think we are not
ready to expose the help side of it yet.

First, while there exist a handful of such flags whose default value can be
changed (eg: git diff, patchwork confirmation), there is only a few of them. The
users who benefit the most from this change are alias users and large
installation that can deploy extension to change behavior (eg: facebook
tweakdefault).  So the majority of user who will be affected by a large change
to command help that is not yet relevant to them. (I expect this to become
relevant when ui.progressive start to exists).

Below is an example of the impact of the new help on 'hg help diff':

  -r --rev REV [+]              revision
  -c --change REV               change made by revision
  -a --[no-]text                treat all files as text
  -g --[no-]git                 use git extended diff format
     --[no-]nodates             omit dates from diff headers
     --[no-]noprefix            omit a/ and b/ prefixes from filenames
  -p --[no-]show-function       show which function each change is in
     --[no-]reverse             produce a diff that undoes the changes
  -w --[no-]ignore-all-space    ignore white space when comparing lines
  -b --[no-]ignore-space-change ignore changes in the amount of white space
  -B --[no-]ignore-blank-lines  ignore changes whose lines are all blank
  -U --unified NUM              number of lines of context to show
     --[no-]stat                output diffstat-style summary of changes
     --root DIR                 produce diffs relative to subdirectory
  -I --include PATTERN [+]      include names matching the given patterns
  -X --exclude PATTERN [+]      exclude names matching the given patterns
  -S --[no-]subrepos            recurse into subrepositories

Another issue with the current state of help, the default value for the
flag is not conveyed to the user. For example in the 'backout' help, there is
no real distinction between "--[no-]backup" (default to True) and "--[no-]keep"
(default) to False:

  --[no-]backup        no backups
  --[no-]keep          do not modify working directory during strip

In addition, I've discussed with Augie Fackler and the last batch of the work on
this have burned him out quite some. Therefore he is not intending to perform
any more work on this topic. Quoting him, he would rather see the help part
backed out than spending more time on it.

I do not think we are ready to expose this to users in 4.0 (freeze in a week),
especially because we cannot expect quick improvement on these aspect as this
topic no longer have an owner. We should be able to reintroduce that change in
the future when someone get back on it and the main issues are solves:

* Introduction of  ui.progressive makes it relevant for a majority of user,
* Current default value are efficiently conveyed to the user.

(In addition, the excerpt from diff help show that we still have some issue with
some negative option like '--nodates' so further improvement are probably
welcome there.)

      hgrc settings    command line options      final result   
    quiet verbo debug   quiet verbo debug      quiet verbo debug
 0  False False False   False False False  ->  False False False
 1   True False False   False False False  ->   True False False
 2  False  True False   False False False  ->  False  True False
 3   True  True False   False False False  ->  False False False
 4  False False  True   False False False  ->  False  True  True
 5   True False  True   False False False  ->  False  True  True
 6  False  True  True   False False False  ->  False  True  True
 7   True  True  True   False False False  ->  False  True  True
 8  False False False    True False False  ->   True False False
 9   True False False    True False False  ->   True False False
10  False  True False    True False False  ->   True False False
11   True  True False    True False False  ->   True False False
12  False False  True    True False False  ->   True False False
13   True False  True    True False False  ->   True False False
14  False  True  True    True False False  ->   True False False
15   True  True  True    True False False  ->   True False False
16  False False False   False  True False  ->  False  True False
17   True False False   False  True False  ->  False  True False
18  False  True False   False  True False  ->  False  True False
19   True  True False   False  True False  ->  False  True False
20  False False  True   False  True False  ->  False  True False
21   True False  True   False  True False  ->  False  True False
22  False  True  True   False  True False  ->  False  True False
23   True  True  True   False  True False  ->  False  True False
24  False False False    True  True False  ->  False False False
25   True False False    True  True False  ->  False False False
26  False  True False    True  True False  ->  False False False
27   True  True False    True  True False  ->  False False False
28  False False  True    True  True False  ->  False False False
29   True False  True    True  True False  ->  False False False
30  False  True  True    True  True False  ->  False False False
31   True  True  True    True  True False  ->  False False False
32  False False False   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
33   True False False   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
34  False  True False   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
35   True  True False   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
36  False False  True   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
37   True False  True   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
38  False  True  True   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
39   True  True  True   False False  True  ->  False  True  True
40  False False False    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
41   True False False    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
42  False  True False    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
43   True  True False    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
44  False False  True    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
45   True False  True    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
46  False  True  True    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
47   True  True  True    True False  True  ->  False  True  True
48  False False False   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
49   True False False   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
50  False  True False   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
51   True  True False   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
52  False False  True   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
53   True False  True   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
54  False  True  True   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
55   True  True  True   False  True  True  ->  False  True  True
56  False False False    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
57   True False False    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
58  False  True False    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
59   True  True False    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
60  False False  True    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
61   True False  True    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
62  False  True  True    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True
63   True  True  True    True  True  True  ->  False  True  True