Add new baseline-diff command by autoantwort · Pull Request #1980 · microsoft/vcpkg-tool

autoantwort · 2026-04-08T09:40:55Z

If we use x-update-baseline we wanted to know which packages gets updated for our manifest file.

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR introduces a new experimental x-baseline-diff command to help users understand which manifest dependencies would change when moving between two baselines (commit refs), integrating it into the vcpkg command dispatcher and localization system.

Changes:

Adds x-baseline-diff command implementation and registers it in command dispatch.
Extends configuration with a helper intended to detect whether the default registry is the built-in registry.
Adds new localized strings for command synopsis/output headings and “no change” output.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 12 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`src/vcpkg/configuration.cpp`	Adds a helper intended to detect built-in default registry kind (currently incorrect).
`include/vcpkg/configuration.h`	Exposes the new configuration helper in the public header.
`src/vcpkg/commands.cpp`	Wires the new command into the command table (currently has a syntax error in the include).
`src/vcpkg/commands.baseline-diff.cpp`	Implements the baseline comparison by generating two install plans and diffing versions.
`include/vcpkg/commands.baseline-diff.h`	Declares the new command entrypoint/metadata.
`locales/messages.json`	Adds user-facing strings for the command and output labels (some grammar issues).
`include/vcpkg/base/message-data.inc.h`	Declares new messages for localization enforcement (some grammar issues).

If we use x-update-baseline we wanted to know which packages gets updated for our manifest file.

Copilot

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:34:20Z

+        return false;
+    }
+
+    void check_for_valid_sha(StringView sha)


Can this use check_commit_exists (from git.h) instead?

I see we can't do that in the general case because this kinda just blindly overwrites the baseline with a SHA and we don't necessarily have a git repo present for that.

However that makes this kinda broken because filesystem registries' baselines are not SHAs. We should only be checking that the input is a SHA when we know that registry has that constraint.

BillyONeal

I think the general idea of such a command makes sense.

Most of what is here is nitpicks but the one about 'why manifest only' and 'what about non-git registries' are kinda foundational.

Should we have output like this printed by x-update-baseline instead of/in addition to what you've done here?

This needs at least one end to end test.

Thanks for the new command submission!

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:39:51Z

+    bool print_lines(LocalizedString&& header, std::vector<std::string>&& lines)
+    {
+        if (!lines.empty())
+        {
+            Util::sort_unique_erase(lines);
+            msg::println(header.append_raw(':'));


Suggested change

bool print_lines(LocalizedString&& header, std::vector<std::string>&& lines)

{

if (!lines.empty())

{

Util::sort_unique_erase(lines);

msg::println(header.append_raw(':'));

bool print_lines(const msg::MessageT<>& header, std::vector<std::string>&& lines)

{

if (lines.empty())

{

return false;

}

Util::sort_unique_erase(lines);

msg::print(msg::format(header).append_raw(":\n"));

That is: early return on the false case, and pass msg::MessageT<> so we don't bother formatting at all in the no lines case.

I could have swore we already had a utility function doing something like this floating around but I'm not finding it...

I think I'm remembering format_plan_block in dependencies.cpp which isn't directly applicable here.

I applied this in autoantwort#2

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:40:49Z

+        check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments.at(0));
+        check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments.at(1));


Suggested change

check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments.at(0));

check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments.at(1));

check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments[0]);

check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments[1]);

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:41:54Z

+        {
+            if (auto default_reg = configuration.config.default_reg.get())
+            {
+                default_reg->baseline = options.command_arguments.at(i);


Suggested change

default_reg->baseline = options.command_arguments.at(i);

default_reg->baseline = options.command_arguments[i];

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:42:54Z

+        auto dependencies = get_manifest_dependencies(*manifest_scf, features);
+
+        ActionPlan plan[2];
+        for (int i = 0; i < 2; ++i)


Suggested change

for (int i = 0; i < 2; ++i)

for (size_t i = 0; i < 2; ++i)

to avoid any sugned/unsigned mismatch warnings from vector.

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:45:05Z

+                                                    extended_overlay_port_directories,
+                                                    manifest->path,
+                                                    std::make_unique<SourceControlFile>(manifest_scf->clone()));
+            PackagesDirAssigner packages_dir_assigner{paths.packages()};


:sigh: We really need to have a "prepare for build" step and separate types for "I have a packages dir" and friends.

No change requested.

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:45:30Z

+        msgCmdBaselineDiffSynopsis,
+        {"vcpkg x-baseline-diff <old_commit_sha> <newer_commit_sha>",
+         "vcpkg x-baseline-diff $(git rev-parse 2026.02.27) $(git rev-parse 2026.03.18)"},
+        Undocumented,


I think we need a docs page for this.

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:46:01Z

+        any_changes |= print_lines(msg::format(msgDirectDependencies), std::move(user_requested));
+        any_changes |= print_lines(msg::format(msgTransitiveDependencies), std::move(transitive));


Suggested change

any_changes |= print_lines(msg::format(msgDirectDependencies), std::move(user_requested));

any_changes |= print_lines(msg::format(msgTransitiveDependencies), std::move(transitive));

any_changes |= print_lines(msgDirectDependencies, std::move(user_requested));

any_changes |= print_lines(msgTransitiveDependencies, std::move(transitive));

(to go with the change to print_lines above)

I applied this in autoantwort#2

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:46:23Z

+            {
+                RegistryConfig synthesized_registry;
+                synthesized_registry.kind = JsonIdBuiltin.to_string();
+                synthesized_registry.baseline = options.command_arguments.at(i);


Suggested change

synthesized_registry.baseline = options.command_arguments.at(i);

synthesized_registry.baseline = options.command_arguments[i];

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:50:27Z

+                                        Triplet host_triplet)
+    {
+        const auto* manifest = paths.get_manifest();
+        if (manifest == nullptr)


I'm not sure I agree with this design: Because the user is explicitly passing in multiple baseline SHAs, it seems to really be more of a classic mode command as other registries aren't accounted for.

It seems like what you actually wanted is effectively this same diff but before/after what x-update-baseline does?

If this stays manifest only, it seems like one of the SHAs should be the one already in the manifest?

BillyONeal · 2026-04-15T00:51:47Z

+        return false;
+    }
+
+    void check_for_valid_sha(StringView sha)


I see we can't do that in the general case because this kinda just blindly overwrites the baseline with a SHA and we don't necessarily have a git repo present for that.

However that makes this kinda broken because filesystem registries' baselines are not SHAs. We should only be checking that the input is a SHA when we know that registry has that constraint.

BillyONeal

(paraphrased by @BillyONeal )
@vicroms: Anything that makes baselines more helpful and less obscure is a good thing
@AugP: This concept sounds like a good idea and I have no objections to it

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 8, 2026 09:40

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of autoantwort April 8, 2026 09:41 View session

autoantwort force-pushed the feature/baseline-diff branch 2 times, most recently from 04a5e7a to 9d4ae6d Compare April 8, 2026 09:47

Copilot AI reviewed Apr 8, 2026

View reviewed changes

autoantwort force-pushed the feature/baseline-diff branch from 9d4ae6d to a9849db Compare April 8, 2026 09:54

Add new baseline-diff command

4a51845

If we use x-update-baseline we wanted to know which packages gets updated for our manifest file.

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 8, 2026 10:14

autoantwort force-pushed the feature/baseline-diff branch from a9849db to 4a51845 Compare April 8, 2026 10:14

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of autoantwort April 8, 2026 10:15 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Apr 8, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread src/vcpkg/commands.baseline-diff.cpp

Comment thread src/vcpkg/commands.baseline-diff.cpp

Comment thread src/vcpkg/commands.baseline-diff.cpp

Comment thread src/vcpkg/commands.baseline-diff.cpp

BillyONeal reviewed Apr 15, 2026

View reviewed changes

BillyONeal requested changes Apr 15, 2026

View reviewed changes

BillyONeal reviewed Apr 15, 2026

View reviewed changes

		check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments.at(0));
		check_for_valid_sha(options.command_arguments.at(1));

	default_reg->baseline = options.command_arguments.at(i);
	default_reg->baseline = options.command_arguments[i];

		any_changes \|= print_lines(msg::format(msgDirectDependencies), std::move(user_requested));
		any_changes \|= print_lines(msg::format(msgTransitiveDependencies), std::move(transitive));

	synthesized_registry.baseline = options.command_arguments.at(i);
	synthesized_registry.baseline = options.command_arguments[i];

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autoantwort commented Apr 8, 2026

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