Re: [PATCH] git-tag(1): Refer to git-check-ref-format(1) for <name>

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Aug 4, 2009, 06:20 UTC
Message-ID: <7veirs6qxn.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <87ab2gsqst.fsf@jondo.cante.net>

Jari Aalto <jari.aalto@cante.net> writes:

> Explain briefly what characters are prohibited in tag <name>
> and point to git-check-ref-format(1) manual page for
> more information.
> ---

Thanks.

I do not see a reason to reject this patch (other than lack of sign-off), but at the same time, I wish if we can somehow teach people that the branches and the tags are just two special cases of refs that follow exactly the same set of rules, we would not have to apply another similar patch to git-branch documentation and instead we can teach what the naming rules are for refs in general. Then the readers can learn the rule once, and extend the knowledge to other types of refs (e.g. notes) in the future.

I however do not think of a way to organize our documentations without too many levels of indirections (e.g. repeating "X is just a ref and for naming rules, see check-ref-format(1)" for all types X of refs). Not repeating the rules for documentation of each kind of ref will make the maintenance a lot easier but hurts readability, but the set of rules is not a large enough to justify the complexity to use a separate include file at the source level.