pack-objects: add --path-walk option for better deltas

Documentation/config/feature.txt

@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ walking fewer objects.
 +
 * `pack.allowPackReuse=multi` may improve the time it takes to create a pack by
 reusing objects from multiple packs instead of just one.
++
+* `pack.usePathWalk` may speed up packfile creation and make the packfiles be
+significantly smaller in the presence of certain filename collisions with Git's
+default name-hash.
 
 feature.manyFiles::
 	Enable config options that optimize for repos with many files in the

Documentation/config/pack.txt

@@ -155,6 +155,14 @@ pack.useSparse::
 	commits contain certain types of direct renames. Default is
 	`true`.
 
+pack.usePathWalk::
+	When true, git will default to using the '--path-walk' option in
+	'git pack-objects' when the '--revs' option is present. This
+	algorithm groups objects by path to maximize the ability to
+	compute delta chains across historical versions of the same
+	object. This may disable other options, such as using bitmaps to
+	enumerate objects.
+
 pack.preferBitmapTips::
 	When selecting which commits will receive bitmaps, prefer a
 	commit at the tip of any reference that is a suffix of any value

Documentation/git-pack-objects.txt

@@ -10,12 +10,13 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git pack-objects' [-q | --progress | --all-progress] [--all-progress-implied]
-	[--no-reuse-delta] [--delta-base-offset] [--non-empty]
-	[--local] [--incremental] [--window=<n>] [--depth=<n>]
-	[--revs [--unpacked | --all]] [--keep-pack=<pack-name>]
-	[--cruft] [--cruft-expiration=<time>]
-	[--stdout [--filter=<filter-spec>] | <base-name>]
-	[--shallow] [--keep-true-parents] [--[no-]sparse] < <object-list>
+		   [--no-reuse-delta] [--delta-base-offset] [--non-empty]
+		   [--local] [--incremental] [--window=<n>] [--depth=<n>]
+		   [--revs [--unpacked | --all]] [--keep-pack=<pack-name>]
+		   [--cruft] [--cruft-expiration=<time>]
+		   [--stdout [--filter=<filter-spec>] | <base-name>]
+		   [--shallow] [--keep-true-parents] [--[no-]sparse]
+		   [--path-walk] < <object-list>
 
 
 DESCRIPTION
@@ -345,6 +346,16 @@ raise an error.
 	Restrict delta matches based on "islands". See DELTA ISLANDS
 	below.
 
+--path-walk::
+	By default, `git pack-objects` walks objects in an order that
+	presents trees and blobs in an order unrelated to the path they
+	appear relative to a commit's root tree. The `--path-walk` option
+	enables a different walking algorithm that organizes trees and
+	blobs by path. This has the potential to improve delta compression
+	especially in the presence of filenames that cause collisions in
+	Git's default name-hash algorithm. Due to changing how the objects
+	are walked, this option is not compatible with `--delta-islands`,
+	`--shallow`, or `--filter`.
 
 DELTA ISLANDS
 -------------

Documentation/git-repack.txt

@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ git-repack - Pack unpacked objects in a repository
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git repack' [-a] [-A] [-d] [-f] [-F] [-l] [-n] [-q] [-b] [-m] [--window=<n>] [--depth=<n>] [--threads=<n>] [--keep-pack=<pack-name>] [--write-midx]
+'git repack' [-a] [-A] [-d] [-f] [-F] [-l] [-n] [-q] [-b] [-m]
+	[--window=<n>] [--depth=<n>] [--threads=<n>] [--keep-pack=<pack-name>]
+	[--write-midx] [--path-walk]
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -249,6 +251,19 @@ linkgit:git-multi-pack-index[1]).
 	Write a multi-pack index (see linkgit:git-multi-pack-index[1])
 	containing the non-redundant packs.
 
+--path-walk::
+	This option passes the `--path-walk` option to the underlying
+	`git pack-options` process (see linkgit:git-pack-objects[1]).
+	By default, `git pack-objects` walks objects in an order that
+	presents trees and blobs in an order unrelated to the path they
+	appear relative to a commit's root tree. The `--path-walk` option
+	enables a different walking algorithm that organizes trees and
+	blobs by path. This has the potential to improve delta compression
+	especially in the presence of filenames that cause collisions in
+	Git's default name-hash algorithm. Due to changing how the objects
+	are walked, this option is not compatible with `--delta-islands`
+	or `--filter`.
+
 CONFIGURATION
 -------------
 

Documentation/technical/api-path-walk.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+Path-Walk API
+=============
+
+The path-walk API is used to walk reachable objects, but to visit objects
+in batches based on a common path they appear in, or by type.
+
+For example, all reachable commits are visited in a group. All tags are
+visited in a group. Then, all root trees are visited. At some point, all
+blobs reachable via a path `my/dir/to/A` are visited. When there are
+multiple paths possible to reach the same object, then only one of those
+paths is used to visit the object.
+
+Basics
+------
+
+To use the path-walk API, include `path-walk.h` and call
+`walk_objects_by_path()` with a customized `path_walk_info` struct. The
+struct is used to set all of the options for how the walk should proceed.
+Let's dig into the different options and their use.
+
+`path_fn` and `path_fn_data`::
+	The most important option is the `path_fn` option, which is a
+	function pointer to the callback that can execute logic on the
+	object IDs for objects grouped by type and path. This function
+	also receives a `data` value that corresponds to the
+	`path_fn_data` member, for providing custom data structures to
+	this callback function.
+
+`revs`::
+	To configure the exact details of the reachable set of objects,
+	use the `revs` member and initialize it using the revision
+	machinery in `revision.h`. Initialize `revs` using calls such as
+	`setup_revisions()` or `parse_revision_opt()`. Do not call
+	`prepare_revision_walk()`, as that will be called within
+	`walk_objects_by_path()`.
++
+It is also important that you do not specify the `--objects` flag for the
+`revs` struct. The revision walk should only be used to walk commits, and
+the objects will be walked in a separate way based on those starting
+commits.
+
+`commits`, `blobs`, `trees`, `tags`::
+	By default, these members are enabled and signal that the path-walk
+	API should call the `path_fn` on objects of these types. Specialized
+	applications could disable some options to make it simpler to walk
+	the objects or to have fewer calls to `path_fn`.
++
+While it is possible to walk only commits in this way, consumers would be
+better off using the revision walk API instead.
+
+`prune_all_uninteresting`::
+	By default, all reachable paths are emitted by the path-walk API.
+	This option allows consumers to declare that they are not
+	interested in paths where all included objects are marked with the
+	`UNINTERESTING` flag. This requires using the `boundary` option in
+	the revision walk so that the walk emits commits marked with the
+	`UNINTERESTING` flag.
+
+Examples
+--------
+
+See example usages in:
+	`t/helper/test-path-walk.c`,
+	`builtin/pack-objects.c`

Makefile

@@ -818,6 +818,7 @@ TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-parse-options.o
 TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-parse-pathspec-file.o
 TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-partial-clone.o
 TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-path-utils.o
+TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-path-walk.o
 TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-pcre2-config.o
 TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-pkt-line.o
 TEST_BUILTINS_OBJS += test-proc-receive.o
@@ -1094,6 +1095,7 @@ LIB_OBJS += parse-options.o
 LIB_OBJS += patch-delta.o
 LIB_OBJS += patch-ids.o
 LIB_OBJS += path.o
+LIB_OBJS += path-walk.o
 LIB_OBJS += pathspec.o
 LIB_OBJS += pkt-line.o
 LIB_OBJS += preload-index.o