Re: "git cat-file <sha1>" shows usage but should not?

From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Date: Apr 15, 2009, 16:54 UTC
Message-ID: <20090415165420.GB24528@coredump.intra.peff.net>
In-Reply-To: <49E61067.6060802@hartwork.org>

On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 06:50:47PM +0200, Sebastian Pipping wrote:

Show 9 quoted lines

> Here is what I did:
> 
> $ git cat-file -t b8c11fbbffbe171c4960058fa2d96f708e57a80c
> commit
> 
> $ git cat-file b8c11fbbffbe171c4960058fa2d96f708e57a80c
> usage: git cat-file [-t|-s|-e|-p|<type>] <sha1>
>    or: git cat-file [--batch|--batch-check] < <list_of_sha1s>
> [..]

That usage message is misleading. You need to use one of -t, -s, -e, -p, or <type>. So it should perhaps just be:

  git cat-file -t|-s|-e|-p|<type> <sha1>

though that looks terribly ugly. Suggestions welcome.

-Peff

P.S. Depending on what you're trying to accomplish, "git show <sha1>"
     may be a better choice.