FR: Use filesets for sparse checkouts

[mmhat]

After reading the Sparse Patterns V2 design doc I was wondering why we don't use the Filesets DSL to describe paths of a sparse checkout?
Is there something I am missing or was that simply not considered as a possibility?
(I just did a quick search which revealed nothing, but maybe I missed the argument against it...)

Suppose I have the following files in my working copy:

project1/foo.txt
project1/bar.txt
project2/foo.txt
project2/bar.txt
...
projectN/foo.txt
projectN/bar.txt

Now I want to restrict the checked out files to */foo.txt.
Since both the current implementation as well as the Sparse Patterns V2 design doc use prefix-matching only (I.e. no glob-patterns) I really have to list all the files I am interested in:

jj sparse set --clear --add 'project1/foo.txt' --add 'project2/foo.txt' ...
# for the lazy ones:
ls */foo.txt | jj sparse edit --config 'ui.editor="tee"'

However, IMHO a simple jj sparse set 'glob:"*/foo.txt"' would be the better user experience.

Would a contribution with that change be accepted?

[PhilipMetzger]

@jennings suggested something similar in the Discord recently.

[PhilipMetzger]

also improving the UX is always appreciated.

[jennings]

My impression was that the only reason sparse doesn't use filesets is because they probably didn't exist at the time sparse v1 was designed.

If you contributed this I would be quite grateful!

[mmhat]

My impression was that the only reason sparse doesn't use filesets is because they probably didn't exist at the time sparse v1 was designed.

Oh, thanks for the info!

If you contributed this I would be quite grateful!

Will do 👍