Re: "git rm" seems to do recursive removal even without "-r"

From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Date: Oct 7, 2017, 19:38 UTC
Message-ID: <20171007193805.a2mwzkweonb6ymdk@sigill.intra.peff.net>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.21.1710071531090.15738@localhost.localdomain>

On Sat, Oct 07, 2017 at 03:32:24PM -0400, Robert P. J. Day wrote:

Show 17 quoted lines

> > Nothing, because there is nothing to recurse in the pathspecs you've
> > given.
> >
> > Try:
> >
> >   $ git rm drivers
> >   fatal: not removing 'drivers' recursively without -r
> >
> > versus
> >
> >   $ git rm -r drivers
> >   [...removes everything under drivers/...]
> 
>   that is not what the man page is saying ... it refers to a "leading"
> directory name, not simply a directory name. if it should say simply
> "when a directory name is given", then it should be changed to say
> that.

It's the leading directory of the files that will be removed.

An earlier part of the manpage (under <file>) also says:

  A leading directory name (e.g. dir to remove dir/file1 and dir/file2)
  can be given to remove all files in the directory, and recursively all
  sub-directories, but this requires the -r option to be explicitly
  given.

which perhaps makes it more clear. Later in "-r", we say:

   -r
           Allow recursive removal when a leading directory name is given.

which I guess is the part you're reading. I think it would be equally correct to say "leading directory" or just "directory" there.

Though really, you could give many such directory names, or even match them with a glob. So a more accurate description might be something like:

  -r
	Recursively remove the contents of any directories that match
	`<file>`.

or something.

-Peff