`format:%>` padding and `git log --graph`

[Elliott Cable <me@ell.io>]

I'm not sure what version the `%>` / `<|` / etc padding showed up in,
but they're truly excellent for building beautiful one-line `git log`
output.

This may be a long-shot, but, unfortunately, these new formats sort of
fall flat in the presence of `git log --graph`: The ‘pad until column’
feature, which when reading the manpage, I desperately hoped
*specifically exists* to replace the normal ‘pad with spaces’ in
situations where `--graph` adds an un-known number of characters to the
start of the line ... unfortunately doesn't seem to work that way.

For instance, here's some truncated output from a basic `--graph`:

    $ git log --graph --abbrev=8 --pretty="tformat:%h %s"
    ...
    * | a4402023 + basic boilerplate for Liability / LiabilityFamily
    * |   32ed6de8 Merge branch 'queueless' into queueless+
    |\ \
    | * \   1e53ea10 (merge misc) Bring in some `bats` fixes, and re-sty
    | |\ \
    | | |/
    | | * c8c270ff (!! new doc) Add rationale for basically *all* of the

Here's what `%>|(16)%h` gives me:

    $ git log --graph --abbrev=8 --pretty="tformat:%>|(16)%h %s"
    ...
    * |         a4402023 + basic boilerplate for Liability / LiabilityFa
    * |           32ed6de8 Merge branch 'queueless' into queueless+
    |\ \
    | * \           1e53ea10 (merge misc) Bring in some `bats` fixes, an
    | |\ \
    | | |/
    | | *         c8c270ff (!! new doc) Add rationale for basically *all

Here's something like what I'd *like* to have seen:

    $ git log --graph --abbrev=8 --pretty="tformat:%>|(16)%h %s"
    ...
    * |     a4402023 + basic boilerplate for Liability / LiabilityFamily
    * |     32ed6de8 Merge branch 'queueless' into queueless+
    |\ \
    | * \   1e53ea10 (merge misc) Bring in some `bats` fixes, and re-sty
    | * \   1e53ea10 (merge misc) Bring in some `bats` fixes, and re-sty
    | |\ \
    | | |/
    | | *   c8c270ff (!! new doc) Add rationale for basically *all* of t

So: Is this nigh-unimplementable? I once [dove into the git-log
source][patch], and I recall the `--graph` code being terrifying; so if
this is difficult to support, I can see why it would be left out.

If I'm off, though, and this is just an oversight, it'd be really neat
to see somebody implement it! (=


⁓ ELLIOTTCABLE — fly safe.
  http://ell.io/tt

   [patch]: <http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/226387>