git/list[1] front-page[2] threads[3] people[4] search[5] about
 

[PATCH 1/2] Documentation: use proper wording for ref format strings

From
Michael J Gruber <git@grubix.eu>
Date
Aug 18, 2017, 14:51 UTC
Message-ID
<35df94bc16d9b1436d2110f5d5c54732e5d9a619.1503067851.git.git@grubix.eu>

Various commands list refs and allow to use a format string for the output that interpolates from the ref as well as the object it points at (for-each-ref; branch and tag in list mode).

Currently, the documentation talks about interpolating from the object. This is confusing because a ref points to an object but not vice versa, so the object cannot possible know %(refname), for example. Thus, this is wrong independent of refs being objects (one day, maybe) or not.

Change the wording to make this clearer (and distinguish it from formats for the log family).

Signed-off-by: Michael J Gruber <git@grubix.eu>
---
 Documentation/git-branch.txt       | 4 ++--
 Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt | 4 ++--
 Documentation/git-tag.txt          | 4 ++--
 3 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.txt b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
index 81bd0a7b77..d0b3358771 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-branch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
@@ -267,8 +267,8 @@ start-point is either a local or remote-tracking branch.
 	Only list branches of the given object.
 
 --format <format>::
-	A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from the object
-	pointed at by a ref being shown.  The format is the same as
+	A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from a branch ref being shown
+	and the object it points at.  The format is the same as
 	that of linkgit:git-for-each-ref[1].
 
 Examples
diff --git a/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt b/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt
index cc42c12832..dac9138fab 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ OPTIONS
 	key.
 
 <format>::
-	A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from the
-	object pointed at by a ref being shown.  If `fieldname`
+	A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from a ref being shown
+	and the object it points at.  If `fieldname`
 	is prefixed with an asterisk (`*`) and the ref points
 	at a tag object, the value for the field in the object
 	tag refers is used.  When unspecified, defaults to
diff --git a/Documentation/git-tag.txt b/Documentation/git-tag.txt
index d97aad3439..543fb425ee 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-tag.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-tag.txt
@@ -188,8 +188,8 @@ This option is only applicable when listing tags without annotation lines.
 	Defaults to HEAD.
 
 <format>::
-	A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from the object
-	pointed at by a ref being shown.  The format is the same as
+	A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from a tag ref being shown
+	and the object it points at.  The format is the same as
 	that of linkgit:git-for-each-ref[1].  When unspecified,
 	defaults to `%(refname:strip=2)`.
 
-- 
2.14.1.224.g15ee91971c
Next: Michael J Gruber
Message 1 of 3 in “Documentation: use proper wording for ref format strings”
  1. 1/2 Documentation: use proper wording for ref format stringsMichael J Gruber, Aug 18, 2017
  2. 2/2 Documentation/git-for-each-ref: clarify peeling of tags for --formatMichael J Gruber, Aug 18, 2017
  3. Junio C HamanoAug 18, 2017

Read the whole thread, see it on lore, or plain text.

$ cat FOOTERMessages come from the public archive at lore.kernel.org/git, fetched every hour. The front page is chosen and written each morning by an AI editor and can be wrong; the threads themselves are the record. About and API. For agents: an MCP server at https://gitlist.dev/mcp, and any thread, story or person page as Markdown by adding .md to its URL (or sending Accept: text/markdown). Details in /llms.txt.