Re: overly zealous git hook

[Jim Meyering]

Bruno Haible wrote:
>> >> Since I prefer that the hook continue to apply to all files
>> >> for which I have a say, perhaps you'd like to itemize the files
>> >> for which you want to allow trailing blank lines?
>> >
>> > Yes. These should be: modules/**/* and **/ChangeLog*. I believe it
>>
>> My point was that I'd like the existing hook to remain
>> in effect even for modules files.  If you want to make
>> exceptions for files you own, please itemize them so that
>> you do not disable that part of the hook for others.
>
> This suggestion is not realistic: This file list would have to be on
> the server side (file info/attributes), and it would be going to change
> regularly. You can't be bothered to change that list every couple of
> weeks.
>
> The modules/* files, from the beginning in December 2002, are designed to
> end in a blank line.

I have never seen a good reason to include a trailing blank
line in modules/* files.

> Even the modules files that you wrote ought to follow
> this definition.

I disagree.
Blank lines at the end of a file are similar to blanks at the end
of a line.  They are often unseen, and represent yet another source
of conflicts.  As such, I remove them systematically wherever I can.
Of course, they're less of a problem in practice since there's only one
possible point of failure per file, rather than one per line.

Just as adding a word at the end of a line obliges us to add
a separating space, so adding a new section in a modules file can
require the addition of a separating blank line.

> Now git provides a "service", the git-apply checking, which combines a
> useful feature (check against blanks at the end of a line) with an undesired
> feature (check against blank lines at the end of the file).
>
> I've asked the git developers if they can separate these two features into
> two different whitespace control flags. Let's see how this works.

That would be best.  Then you can itemize files for which you
would like to allow/require trailing blank lines.