Re: [PATCH] gitignore.txt: elaborate shell glob syntax

From: Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 1, 2018, 09:59 UTC
Message-ID: <20180201095914.GA6939@ash>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqh8r1r4u1.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>

On Wed, Jan 31, 2018 at 03:22:46PM -0800, Junio C Hamano wrote:

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

Argh.. stray patches strike again. It's not supposed to be in this thread but in

https://public-inbox.org/git/%3C20180130101351.GA761@ash%3E/

Show 18 quoted lines

> 
> >     `.gitignore` file).
> >  
> > - - Otherwise, Git treats the pattern as a shell glob suitable
> > -   for consumption by fnmatch(3) with the FNM_PATHNAME flag:
> > -   wildcards in the pattern will not match a / in the pathname.
> > -   For example, "Documentation/{asterisk}.html" matches
> > -   "Documentation/git.html" but not "Documentation/ppc/ppc.html"
> > -   or "tools/perf/Documentation/perf.html".
> > + - Otherwise, Git treats the pattern as a shell glob: '{asterisk}'
> > +   matches anything except '/', '?' matches any one character except
> > +   '/' and '[]' matches one character in a selected range. See
> > +   fnmatch(3) and the FNM_PATHNAME flag for a more accurate
> > +   description.
> 
> Where the original did not quote single letters at all, this uses a
> pair of single quotes.  Did you make sure it renders well in HTML
> and manpage already or should I do that for you before applying?

I didn't. I thought I didn't add any weird symbols. I was wrong. These are now wrapped as "`stuff`" to be displayed the same way as in nearby paragraphs. Verified both man and HTML pages are rendered well.

> I think what you wrote is accurate enough already, and those who
> want to go to fnmatch(3) would do so not for accuracy but for
> authority ;-) Perhaps s/accurate/detailed/?

Well there are rooms for guessing, for example "matches anything" does not tell you straight that it can match multiple characters. Anyway fixed too.

-- 8< --
Subject: [PATCH v2] gitignore.txt: elaborate shell glob syntax

`fnmatch(3)` is a great mention if the intended audience is programmers. For normal users it's probably better to spell out what a shell glob is.

This paragraph is updated to roughly tell (or remind) what the main wildcards are supposed to do. All the details are still hidden away behind the `fnmatch(3)` wall because bringing the whole specification here may be too much.

Signed-off-by: Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy <pclouds@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/gitignore.txt | 11 +++++------
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/gitignore.txt b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
index 63260f0056..ff5d7f9ed6 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitignore.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
@@ -102,12 +102,11 @@ PATTERN FORMAT
    (relative to the toplevel of the work tree if not from a
    `.gitignore` file).
 
- - Otherwise, Git treats the pattern as a shell glob suitable
-   for consumption by fnmatch(3) with the FNM_PATHNAME flag:
-   wildcards in the pattern will not match a / in the pathname.
-   For example, "Documentation/{asterisk}.html" matches
-   "Documentation/git.html" but not "Documentation/ppc/ppc.html"
-   or "tools/perf/Documentation/perf.html".
+ - Otherwise, Git treats the pattern as a shell glob: "`*`" matches
+   anything except "`/`", "`?`" matches any one character except "`/`"
+   and "`[]`" matches one character in a selected range. See
+   fnmatch(3) and the FNM_PATHNAME flag for a more detailed
+   description.
 
  - A leading slash matches the beginning of the pathname.
    For example, "/{asterisk}.c" matches "cat-file.c" but not

-- 
2.16.1.205.g271f633410

-- 8< --