Re: [PATCH 4/4] config: allow including config from repository blobs

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jan 26, 2012, 21:14 UTC
Message-ID: <7vbopq2mk9.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <20120126074208.GD30474@sigill.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> +You can also include configuration from a blob stored in your repository
> +by setting the special `include.ref` variable to the name of an object
> +containing your configuration data (in the same format as a regular
> +config file).

Hmm, the concept is surely *fun*, but is this really worth it?

With this, projects could include README that says something like this:

	When working with our project, we would suggest using some tweaks
	to the configuration file. For your convenience, a copy of it
	already exists in the clone of your repository, and all you have
	to do is to run this in your repository:

	$ git config include.ref 4774acaf6657efed

	We may update the set of recommended tweaks from time to time, so
        watch this README file for such updates, and re-run the above command
	with the updated blob object name as needed.

	Note: if you are paranoid and suspect that the project might
	give you trojan horse, you could inspect the recommended
	tweaks first before including them, like this:

	$ git cat-file -p 4774acaf6657efed

The blob will be included in the repository and the most natural way for such a project to arrange things is to keep it together with the source tree, perhaps in a separate hierarchy, say "dev_tools/std_gitconfig" or something. Without the update in patches 3 and 4, the project should be able to update the above for its participants with minimum fuss, e.g.

diff --git a/README b/README
index af31555..203d255 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -3,14 +3,15 @@
 	already exists in the clone of your repository, and all you have
 	to do is to run this in your repository:
 
-	$ git config include.ref 4774acaf6657efed
+	$ cp dev_tools/std_gitconfig .git/std_gitconfig
+	$ git config include.path std_gitconfig
 
 	We may update the set of recommended tweaks from time to time, so
-        watch this README file for such updates, and re-run the above command
-	with the updated blob object name as needed.
+        watch "git log -p dev_tools/std_gitconfig" for such updates and
+	update your .git/std_gitconfig as needed.
 
 	Note: if you are paranoid and suspect that the project might
 	give you trojan horse, you could inspect the recommended
 	tweaks first before including them, like this:
 
-	$ git cat-file -p 4774acaf6657efed
+	$ less dev_tools/std_gitconfig