From 5a31252702da61ddabc68f3f8ac7a2cffc19a542 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2025 22:24:17 +0200
Subject: whatchanged: hint about git-log(1) and aliasing
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There have been quite a few `--i-still-use-this` user reports since Git
2.51.0 was released.[1][2]  And it doesn’t seem like they are reading
the man page about the git-log(1) equivalent.

Tell them what options to plug into git-log(1), either as a replacement
command or as an alias.[3]  That template produces almost the same
output[4] and is arguably a plug-in replacement.  Concretely, add
an optional `hint` argument so that we can use it right after the
initial error line.

Also mention the same concrete options in the documentation while we’re
at it.

[1]: E.g.,
    • https://lore.kernel.org/git/e1a69dea-bcb6-45fc-83d3-9e50d32c410b@5y5.one/
    • https://lore.kernel.org/git/1011073f-9930-4360-a42f-71eb7421fe3f@chrispalmer.uk/#t
    • https://lore.kernel.org/git/9fcbfcc4-79f9-421f-b9a4-dc455f7db485@acm.org/#t
    • https://lore.kernel.org/git/83241BDE-1E0D-489A-9181-C608E9FCC17B@gmail.com/
[2]: The error message on 2.51.0 does tell them to report it, unconditionally
[3]: We allow aliasing deprecated builtins now for people who are very
    used to the command name or just like it a lot
[4]: You only get different outputs if you happen to have empty
     commits (no changes)[4]
[5]: https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250825085428.GA367101@coredump.intra.peff.net/

Signed-off-by: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
---
 Documentation/git-whatchanged.adoc | 6 +++++-
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

(limited to 'Documentation/git-whatchanged.adoc')

diff --git a/Documentation/git-whatchanged.adoc b/Documentation/git-whatchanged.adoc
index d21484026f..e71d2aa2d2 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-whatchanged.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-whatchanged.adoc
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@ Shows commit logs and diff output each commit introduces.
 
 New users are encouraged to use linkgit:git-log[1] instead.  The
 `whatchanged` command is essentially the same as linkgit:git-log[1]
-but defaults to showing the raw format diff output and skipping merges.
+but defaults to showing the raw format diff output and skipping merges:
+
+----
+git log --raw --no-merges
+----
 
 The command is primarily kept for historical reasons; fingers of
 many people who learned Git long before `git log` was invented by
-- 
cgit v1.3-5-g9baa

