Clipboard patches and target matching

Source: CPatch::CheckPatchPath, CountMatches, CountDirMatches, the better-target TaskDialog in MainFrm.cpp, TrySavePatchFromClipboard and the registered TGIT_UNIFIEDDIFF format at 7338078f8ddd924b8cddee35f512f2286072136d.

Copy Patch in the native diff viewer exports the original UnifiedDiffDocument bytes. The macOS org.turtlegit.unified-diff data type and a qualified TortoiseGit compatibility UTI both carry those exact bytes; the literal Windows registered name is not a valid macOS UTI. Ordinary text supplies a display/interoperability representation. Read-only legacy/BOM/binary bytes are not replaced by decoded display text. The app declares its data UTI in Info.plist.

The File menu's Review Clipboard Patch captures the clipboard once, on the explicit action. Custom data takes priority over text. Copied plain diff text is also accepted on that explicit command; arbitrary prose is rejected. Menu construction does not poll clipboard contents. The captured bytes are passed directly to the review workflow, which asks for a target folder but does not require a fabricated source-file grant or create an external source file. A clipboard change while the target chooser is open does not replace the source. The app's active repository is not adopted or changed by this workflow.

Single-patch preparation now obtains Git's byte-oriented preimage statistics for target matching, including rename preimages. It retains the source search order: current folder, ancestors, immediate non-administration subfolders, then ancestor directory matches for newly added files. A match requires strictly more than integer fileCount / 3, rather than one file or a simple majority. macOS sorts immediate children for repeatability and skips symlink directories and paths escaping the candidate root. Sandboxed ancestor searches stop at the largest real retained grant covering the selected target.

A different match opens an owned Suggested / Selected / Cancel choice before changing the review target. The selected target is checked against its real grants again, and repository facts are queried for that target. A Keep Selected response opens the original folder even if the patch cannot apply there; it is not silently redirected. Git-style a/b headers start at strip count 1, while plain unified paths start at 0, matching the source's prefix handling. Manual strip/reverse controls remain available in the existing review dialog.

Preflight Git commands now receive owned cancellation, and the matcher checks cancellation between candidates. Forced closure cancels its process group and fences late chooser/suggestion replies; the existing load counter blocks Quit until cleanup finishes. Opening, matching or copying does not apply the patch. Only the review's existing explicit Apply/Save operations change target files.

Still open: complete mixed-prefix/format behavior, source Open dialog accessory integration, Finder clipboard routing where the source command is exposed, physical prompt/layout comparison, public clipboard privacy UX and signed bookmark/target acceptance. The ordinary Finder single-patch source clauses remain unchanged. This batch advances the existing review port rather than certifying all TortoiseGitMerge functionality.

Grouped validation: the existing 26 directory/review/viewer cases passed; all five target-matching cases passed after repairing a path-alias issue and a directory-URL assertion. Debug builds completed with existing diagnostics. The final combined native receiver passed exact-byte pasteboard round trips, snapshot retention across clipboard replacement, suggested/selected folder choices and real plain-directory patch application. It used a private named pasteboard and disposable targets, then exited and cleaned up its resources. See qa/clipboard-target-batch-2026-10-12.json for repair history and limits.

The clipboard entry continuation connects the existing eligible Finder Review action to a one-use byte receipt, and adds Use Clipboard Patch to the native patch source chooser. This supersedes those two entry gaps within the documented source clauses; physical/signed and broad format acceptance remain open.