The blog post details a streamlined workflow for applying Git patches emailed as attachments directly within Apple Mail. It leverages a custom Mail rule and an AppleScript to automatically save .patch or .diff attachments to a temporary directory. The script then opens a Terminal window in that directory, enabling the user to quickly apply the patch using git am. This eliminates the manual steps of downloading, locating, and applying patches received via email, significantly improving efficiency for developers working with patch-based workflows.
This blog post, titled "Working with Git Patches in Apple Mail (2023)," details a refined workflow for efficiently managing and applying git patches directly within Apple Mail on macOS. The author outlines a streamlined approach that leverages Apple Mail's rules and the command-line patch utility to automate the process of saving, cleaning, and applying patches received via email.
The core issue addressed is the cumbersome nature of handling emailed patches, which often arrive wrapped in forwarded messages, nested quotations, and extraneous email headers and footers. Manually extracting and cleaning these patches can be tedious and error-prone. The author's solution utilizes Apple Mail's robust rule system to automatically identify emails containing patches, extract the patch content, sanitize it by removing superfluous email artifacts, and save it to a dedicated folder.
The post provides a meticulous, step-by-step guide for setting up these rules within Apple Mail. It specifies the precise criteria for identifying patch emails, such as looking for the characteristic "Subject:" line prefix often used when sending patches, and details the actions to be performed on matching emails. This includes creating a new subfolder within the Mail Downloads folder, naming the saved file based on the email subject and sender, and applying a sequence of text manipulations using the sed command to strip away unwanted email headers, footers, and quoted text. The resulting cleaned patch files are then readily available for application using the git am command.
The author further elaborates on specific challenges and provides tailored solutions. For instance, dealing with multiple patches within a single email is addressed by employing a loop within the rule's "Run Shell Script" action. This loop iteratively extracts and processes each embedded patch, ensuring they are saved as separate files.
The post concludes by emphasizing the benefits of this automated approach. By integrating patch management directly within Apple Mail, the author achieves a significant improvement in efficiency, reduces manual intervention, and minimizes the risk of errors associated with manual copy-pasting and cleaning. The comprehensive instructions and detailed explanations make the post a valuable resource for developers seeking a streamlined and robust solution for working with git patches received via email.
Summary of Comments ( 13 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44020914
HN users largely discuss their preferred methods for handling patches, with several alternatives to Mail.app presented.
mutt,imapfilter, and a combination of offlineimap andgit amare popular choices, cited for their efficiency and command-line convenience. Some users question the premise of using Mail.app at all, highlighting its clunkiness for patch management. A few commenters appreciate the author's perspective and workflow, finding it resonates with their own, though acknowledging the limitations of Mail.app for this purpose. The discussion also briefly touches on security concerns and the necessity of verifying patch sources.The Hacker News post "Working with Git Patches in Apple Mail (2023)" linking to btxx.org/posts/mail/ has several comments discussing the author's workflow for applying git patches within Apple Mail.
Many commenters express appreciation for the tip, finding it novel and potentially useful. Some highlight the simplicity and elegance of leveraging Mail's built-in rendering capabilities for diffs and the straightforward drag-and-drop application to the terminal.
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around alternative methods and existing tools for patch management. Commenters mention dedicated GUI tools for Git, arguing that these often provide a more robust and feature-rich experience for handling patches, especially for complex scenarios. Specifically, tools like GitKraken, Fork, Sublime Merge, and the GitHub CLI are mentioned as preferred alternatives.
Some users point out potential downsides to the Mail-based approach, such as the risk of accidentally applying incorrect patches or the lack of more advanced features offered by dedicated Git clients. They also mention the potential for email formatting to interfere with the patch application process.
The discussion also touches on the broader context of email clients and their surprising utility for tasks beyond typical communication. One commenter shares an anecdote about using Eudora for code review in the past, highlighting a history of unconventional uses for email clients in software development.
Another thread within the comments explores alternative text editors and their integration with Git. Sublime Text, VS Code, and Vim are mentioned, along with their respective plugins and functionalities for simplifying patch management.
Finally, some comments offer further tips and refinements to the author's workflow. Suggestions include piping the patch directly to
patch -p1for a more streamlined process and usingpbcopyandpbpasteon macOS for clipboard management.