From: Junio C Hamano Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:44:47 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH] Document disabling core.whitespace values trailing-space and space-before-tab Message-ID: <7vbq0m608w.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org> In-Reply-To: <20080724172912.6117@nanako3.lavabit.com> Nanako Shiraishi writes: > Quoting "Peter Valdemar Mrch (Lists)" <4ux6as402@sneakemail.com>: > >> The '-trailing-space' syntax to disable the trailing-space setting is >> not obvious and not documented as far as I can see. I would have >> assumed a value of '' would disable it. >> >> Is there a documentation bug here? If so, I suggest this patch. I >> didn't find anywhere else where the '-setting' syntax was used to >> disable something. > > Doesn't gitattributes(5) describe the overall syntax in detail? Yes, but as Peter says in his reply to you, it only talks about [-!]name syntax to force the variable to unset (with '-' prefix) and to revert the variable to the unspecified state (with '!' prefix). Various "values" given to the whitespace attribute actually act as if they are sub-variables and obey the similar "[-]name" rule, but (1) that is left unsaid, and (2) in that context '!' does not make sense so only '-' has any meaning. We would certainly need to clarify that. So I think Peter's patch is going in the right direction.