Re: [PATCH] Documentation/config: clarify the meaning of submodule.<name>.update

From: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 22, 2017, 21:37 UTC
Message-ID: <20170922213740.GL27425@aiede.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <20170922212818.9958-1-sbeller@google.com>

Hi,

Stefan Beller wrote:

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> With more commands (that potentially change a submodule) paying attention
> to submodules as well as the recent discussion[1] on submodule.<name>.update,
> let's spell out that submodule.<name>.update is strictly to be used
> for configuring the "submodule update" command and not to be obeyed
> by other commands.

Good idea, thank you.

You'll want to update Documentation/gitmodules.txt, too.

I think this can go further: it should say explicitly that commands like "git checkout --recurse-submodules" do not pay attention to this option.

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> These other commands usually have a strict meaning of what they should
> do (i.e. checkout, reset, rebase, merge) as well as have their name
> overlapping with the modes possible for submodule.<name>.update.
>
> [1] https://public-inbox.org/git/4283F0B0-BC1C-4ED1-8126-7E512D84484B@gmail.com/

Can you summarize what this discussion concluded with so the reader does not have to look far to understand it?

> Signed-off-by: Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com>

Reported-by: Lars Schneider <larsxschneider@gmail.com>

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> ---
>  Documentation/config.txt | 7 +++----
>  1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt
> index dc4e3f58a2..b0ded777fe 100644
> --- a/Documentation/config.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/config.txt
> @@ -3085,10 +3085,9 @@ submodule.<name>.url::
>  	See linkgit:git-submodule[1] and linkgit:gitmodules[5] for details.
>  
>  submodule.<name>.update::
> -	The default update procedure for a submodule. This variable
> -	is populated by `git submodule init` from the
> -	linkgit:gitmodules[5] file. See description of 'update'
> -	command in linkgit:git-submodule[1].
> +	The method how a submodule is updated via 'git submodule update'.
> +	It is populated by `git submodule init` from the linkgit:gitmodules[5]
> +	file. See description of 'update' command in linkgit:git-submodule[1].
>

Wording nits: s/The method how/The method by which/; s/via/by/

More importantly, can this be more explicit about how it is meant to be used? E.g. to say

 1. This only affects "git submodule update" and doesn't affect
    commands like "git checkout --recurse-submodules".

 2. It exists for historical reasons; settings like submodule.active
    and pull.rebase are more likely to be what someone is looking for.

Thanks and hope that helps, Jonathan