{"thread":{"id":"43905","subject":"git-config(1) should mention `git -c`","startedAt":"2016-08-22T18:43:32Z","lastAt":"2016-08-23T21:48:52Z","messageCount":5,"participants":["David Glasser","Jeff King","Junio C Hamano"],"isPatch":false,"patchVersion":null,"patchTotal":null},"messages":[{"id":"299860","messageId":"CAN7QDoJ-gQ9XUkCrTT6YDN+aUjNrAJWaG+WxbUvu32DJG-OZDg@mail.gmail.com","threadId":"43905","inReplyTo":null,"subject":"git-config(1) should mention `git -c`","fromName":"David Glasser","fromEmail":"glasser@davidglasser.net","sentAt":"2016-08-22T18:42:52Z","receivedAt":"2016-08-22T18:43:32Z","isPatch":false,"sender":{"key":"glasser@davidglasser.net","avatar":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/16724?v=4"},"body":"In addition to describing the `git config` command, git-config(1) also\nappears to be where the algorithm for determining the active\nconfiguration values is documented, in the FILES and ENVIRONMENT\nsections. (There is minimal documentation of these files and\nenvironment variables in git(1).)\n\nHowever, `git -c name=value` is not documented in this manpage. So to\nunderstand the full set of ways to affect the configuration of a git\ncommand, you need to know to read both git(1) and git-config(1).\n\nI'd like to add a reference to `git -c` to git-config(1). I would\nhappily send a patch but I'm not sure of the best place to put it —\nmaybe in the FILES section?\n\n--dave\n\n-- \nglasser@davidglasser.net | langtonlabs.org | flickr.com/photos/glasser/\n"},{"id":"299861","messageId":"20160822185709.izdfbkbsmeip5u7c@sigill.intra.peff.net","threadId":"43905","inReplyTo":"CAN7QDoJ-gQ9XUkCrTT6YDN+aUjNrAJWaG+WxbUvu32DJG-OZDg@mail.gmail.com","subject":"Re: git-config(1) should mention `git -c`","fromName":"Jeff King","fromEmail":"peff@peff.net","sentAt":"2016-08-22T18:57:09Z","receivedAt":"2016-08-22T18:57:16Z","isPatch":false,"sender":{"key":"peff@peff.net","avatar":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/45925?v=4"},"body":"On Mon, Aug 22, 2016 at 11:42:52AM -0700, David Glasser wrote:\n\n> In addition to describing the `git config` command, git-config(1) also\n> appears to be where the algorithm for determining the active\n> configuration values is documented, in the FILES and ENVIRONMENT\n> sections. (There is minimal documentation of these files and\n> environment variables in git(1).)\n> \n> However, `git -c name=value` is not documented in this manpage. So to\n> understand the full set of ways to affect the configuration of a git\n> command, you need to know to read both git(1) and git-config(1).\n\nYeah, I agree it is probably worth mentioning in git-config(1).\n\n> I'd like to add a reference to `git -c` to git-config(1). I would\n> happily send a patch but I'm not sure of the best place to put it —\n> maybe in the FILES section?\n\nThat seems like the most sensible place, as that is where we should\ncover the order of reading and precedence. Perhaps FILES should be\nrenamed to SOURCES or something (though I do not recall if we are\nrestricted to \"usual\" manpage section names or not).\n\nArguably this is not about git-config the program at all, but the\ngeneral concept of \"configuration for git\", because the precedence rules\napply equally to all of the git programs that read config. So it _could_\nbe pulled out into its own gitconfig(7) page. That's a lot more work,\nthough, and I don't blame you if you want to start with a more minor\nupdate.\n\n(I also think that having both git-config(1) and gitconfig(7) may be\nconfusing; \"git help revisions\" knows to find gitrevisions(7), but \"git\nhelp config\" would always end up in git-config(1), I think).\n\n-Peff\n"},{"id":"299965","messageId":"xmqqpoozwgm5.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com","threadId":"43905","inReplyTo":"20160822185709.izdfbkbsmeip5u7c@sigill.intra.peff.net","subject":"Re: git-config(1) should mention `git -c`","fromName":"Junio C Hamano","fromEmail":"gitster@pobox.com","sentAt":"2016-08-23T17:16:18Z","receivedAt":"2016-08-23T17:16:26Z","isPatch":false,"sender":{"key":"gitster@pobox.com","avatar":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/54884?v=4"},"body":"Jeff King writes:\n\n> That seems like the most sensible place, as that is where we should\n> cover the order of reading and precedence. Perhaps FILES should be\n> renamed to SOURCES or something (though I do not recall if we are\n> restricted to \"usual\" manpage section names or not).\n>\n> Arguably this is not about git-config the program at all, but the\n> general concept of \"configuration for git\", because the precedence rules\n> apply equally to all of the git programs that read config.\n\nTrue, but that argument leads us to say git(1) is the best place ;-)\n\nIf the user wants to know \"how does the configuration values get\nread?\", and wishes not having to go around fishing for the\ninformation in multiple places (and I think that is a reasonable\nthing to wish for), I think adding it to the FILES section of\ngit-config(1) is a better option than inventing a separate\ngitconfig(7), which would still require the user to consult two\nplaces.\n\n"},{"id":"299970","messageId":"CAN7QDoJ3dv1MYjKGXgrC46K+xnUv5=PCrfqgSrJQbQ3kjBu6+A@mail.gmail.com","threadId":"43905","inReplyTo":"xmqqpoozwgm5.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com","subject":"Re: git-config(1) should mention `git -c`","fromName":"David Glasser","fromEmail":"glasser@davidglasser.net","sentAt":"2016-08-23T17:33:44Z","receivedAt":"2016-08-23T17:34:10Z","isPatch":false,"sender":{"key":"glasser@davidglasser.net","avatar":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/16724?v=4"},"body":"On Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 10:16 AM, Junio C Hamano wrote:\n> Jeff King writes:\n>\n>> That seems like the most sensible place, as that is where we should\n>> cover the order of reading and precedence. Perhaps FILES should be\n>> renamed to SOURCES or something (though I do not recall if we are\n>> restricted to \"usual\" manpage section names or not).\n>>\n>> Arguably this is not about git-config the program at all, but the\n>> general concept of \"configuration for git\", because the precedence rules\n>> apply equally to all of the git programs that read config.\n>\n> True, but that argument leads us to say git(1) is the best place ;-)\n>\n> If the user wants to know \"how does the configuration values get\n> read?\", and wishes not having to go around fishing for the\n> information in multiple places (and I think that is a reasonable\n> thing to wish for), I think adding it to the FILES section of\n> git-config(1) is a better option than inventing a separate\n> gitconfig(7), which would still require the user to consult two\n> places.\n\nGreat, I sent a patch in a new thread. I hope I formatted it\ncorrectly; haven't sent a patch via email in a while.\n\n\n\n-- \nglasser@davidglasser.net | langtonlabs.org | flickr.com/photos/glasser/\n"},{"id":"299996","messageId":"20160823214120.ekaq4mul3pamweej@sigill.intra.peff.net","threadId":"43905","inReplyTo":"xmqqpoozwgm5.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com","subject":"Re: git-config(1) should mention `git -c`","fromName":"Jeff King","fromEmail":"peff@peff.net","sentAt":"2016-08-23T21:41:20Z","receivedAt":"2016-08-23T21:48:52Z","isPatch":false,"sender":{"key":"peff@peff.net","avatar":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/45925?v=4"},"body":"On Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 10:16:18AM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:\n\n> Jeff King writes:\n> \n> > That seems like the most sensible place, as that is where we should\n> > cover the order of reading and precedence. Perhaps FILES should be\n> > renamed to SOURCES or something (though I do not recall if we are\n> > restricted to \"usual\" manpage section names or not).\n> >\n> > Arguably this is not about git-config the program at all, but the\n> > general concept of \"configuration for git\", because the precedence rules\n> > apply equally to all of the git programs that read config.\n> \n> True, but that argument leads us to say git(1) is the best place ;-)\n\nSort of. I agree it is a good place to mention the precedence, but...\n\n> If the user wants to know \"how does the configuration values get\n> read?\", and wishes not having to go around fishing for the\n> information in multiple places (and I think that is a reasonable\n> thing to wish for), I think adding it to the FILES section of\n> git-config(1) is a better option than inventing a separate\n> gitconfig(7), which would still require the user to consult two\n> places.\n\nThe flip side of \"fishing for the information in multiple places\" is \"I\nknow it is somewhere in git-config(1), but I have to wade through a\nbunch of cruft about git-config command-line options to find it\".\n\nSo I'd argue that the concept of config (overview, precedence, file\nsyntax, list of options) could be separate from both git-config(1) and\nfrom git(1), and that both of those places could point to it. That\nintroduces a level of indirection which is annoying the first time (\"I\nam reading git-config(1), but now I have to jump to another manpage\")\nbut helpful the other times (\"I know I want config concepts, not the\nconfig tool; I can immediately jump to the right place\").\n\nAnyway. Just my two cents on the matter. I think we can improve David's\ncomplaint without anything so drastic.\n\n-Peff\n"}]}