Re: [PATCH] gitignore.txt: suggestions how to get literal # or ! at the beginning

From: Philip Oakley <philipoakley@iee.org>
Date: Oct 6, 2012, 11:33 UTC
Message-ID: <01ADED0717024E6F93B7FBADB1AEAE6B@PhilipOakley>
In-Reply-To: <1349512701-29729-1-git-send-email-pclouds@gmail.com>

From: "Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy" <pclouds@gmail.com>

Show 12 quoted lines

> We support backslash escape, but we hide the details behind the phrase
> "a shell glob suitable for consumption by fnmatch(3)". So it may not
> be obvious how one can get literal # or ! at the beginning of a 
> pattern.
> Add a few lines on how to work around the magic characters.
>
> Signed-off-by: Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy <pclouds@gmail.com>
> ---
> Asciidoc 8.2.6 does not like me writing
> "Put \# if you need a literal #.." so I go with "backslash" and
> "hash" instead. `\!` displays fine both in man page and html format.
> '!' changed to `!` because it looks clearer in monospace.

Why not put the backslash-hash in back quotes as well to give the same look/feel consistency?

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>
> Documentation/gitignore.txt | 7 +++++--
> 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/gitignore.txt b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
> index 96639e0..8c03ed4 100644
> --- a/Documentation/gitignore.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
> @@ -74,11 +74,14 @@ PATTERN FORMAT
>    for readability.
>
>  - A line starting with # serves as a comment.

+  A line starting with `#` serves as a comment.

> +   Put a backslash in front of the first hash for the patterns
> +   that start with a hash.
>

+   Use `\#` if you need a literal `#` at the beginning of the pattern.

Show 12 quoted lines

> - - An optional prefix '!' which negates the pattern; any
> + - An optional prefix `!` which negates the pattern; any
>    matching file excluded by a previous pattern will become
>    included again.  If a negated pattern matches, this will
> -   override lower precedence patterns sources.
> +   override lower precedence patterns sources. Use `\!` if
> +   you need a literal `!` at the beginning of the pattern.
>
>  - If the pattern ends with a slash, it is removed for the
>    purpose of the following description, but it would only find
> -- 
> 1.7.12.1.406.g6ab07c4