Re: [Feature request] gitlog-to-changelog: don't cluster multiple ChangeLog entries under the same "date line"

[Jim Meyering]

Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> Hello Gnulibers.
>
> Currently, the `gitlog-to-changelog' script clusters ChangeLog entries with
> the same date together, placing them under a single "date line" in the
> generated output.
>
> So we have something like this:
>
>
>   $ ./build-aux/gitlog-to-changelog -- -n 2 76d222b
>
>   2011-12-22  Jim Meyering  <address@hidden>
>
>         correct previous ChangeLog entry: s/set -x/set -e/
>         Spotted by Stefano Lattarini.
>
>         init.sh: avoid unwarranted test failure when using "set -x"
>         * tests/init.sh (compare): Ignore nonzero exit from compare_dev_null_.
>         Otherwise, in a test script that uses "set -x" (like many in vc-dwim)
>         a use like "compare exp out" would get evoke an unconditional failure.
>
>
> where I'd like to see something like this instead:
>
>  $ ./build-aux/gitlog-to-changelog -- -n 2 76d222b
>
>  2011-12-22  Jim Meyering  <address@hidden>
>
>         correct previous ChangeLog entry: s/set -x/set -e/
>         Spotted by Stefano Lattarini.
>
>  2011-12-22  Jim Meyering  <address@hidden>
>
>         init.sh: avoid unwarranted test failure when using "set -x"
>         * tests/init.sh (compare): Ignore nonzero exit from compare_dev_null_.
>         Otherwise, in a test script that uses "set -x" (like many in vc-dwim)
>         a use like "compare exp out" would get evoke an unconditional failure.
>
> This latter format would match the current practice used in the Automake
> hand-maintained ChangeLog.
>
> Would you consider adding an option to gitlog-to-changelog to support such a
> format?

Why?  Solely for consistency, after you've made the switch from
a manually-maintained to an automatically-generated ChangeLog file?

Do you consider the duplication of the identical-date-name lines useful?

The default format emitted by gitlog-to-changelog matches
what emacs' changelog-mode does.  That seems consistent with
the "avoid duplication" philosophy and also tends to keep the
ChangeLog file more compact.