{"thread":{"id":"24028","subject":"[PATCH] commit.txt: clarify how --author argument is used","startedAt":"2010-06-06T23:31:34Z","lastAt":"2010-06-06T23:31:34Z","messageCount":1,"participants":["Jay Soffian"],"isPatch":true,"patchVersion":1,"patchTotal":null},"messages":[{"id":"143126","messageId":"1275867094-8634-1-git-send-email-jaysoffian@gmail.com","threadId":"24028","inReplyTo":null,"subject":"[PATCH] commit.txt: clarify how --author argument is used","fromName":"Jay Soffian","fromEmail":"jaysoffian@gmail.com","sentAt":"2010-06-06T23:31:34Z","receivedAt":"2010-06-06T23:31:34Z","isPatch":true,"sender":{"key":"jaysoffian@gmail.com","avatar":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/155970?v=4"},"body":"commit --author was added by 146ea06 (git commit --author=$name: look $name up\nin existing commits), but its documentation was sorely lacking compared to its\nexcellent commit message. This commit tries to improve the documentation.\n\nSigned-off-by: Jay Soffian <jaysoffian@gmail.com>\n---\n Documentation/git-commit.txt |    9 +++++----\n 1 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)\n\ndiff --git a/Documentation/git-commit.txt b/Documentation/git-commit.txt\nindex 32c482f..c28603e 100644\n--- a/Documentation/git-commit.txt\n+++ b/Documentation/git-commit.txt\n@@ -95,10 +95,11 @@ OPTIONS\n \tread the message from the standard input.\n \n --author=<author>::\n-\tOverride the author name used in the commit.  You can use the\n-\tstandard `A U Thor <author@example.com>` format.  Otherwise,\n-\tan existing commit that matches the given string and its author\n-\tname is used.\n+\tOverride the commit author. Specify an explicit author using the\n+\tstandard `A U Thor <author@example.com>` format. Otherwise <author>\n+\tis assumed to be a pattern and is used to search for an existing\n+\tcommit by that author (i.e. rev-list --all -i --author=<author>);\n+\tthe commit author is then copied from the first such commit found.\n \n --date=<date>::\n \tOverride the author date used in the commit.\n-- \n1.7.1\n"}]}