git log doesn't allow %x00 in custom format anymore?

From: Kirill Likhodedov <kirill.likhodedov@jetbrains.com>
Date: Oct 7, 2010, 11:25 UTC
Message-ID: <D9157D2F-31D5-44EF-8FB4-F0E62BBF8017@jetbrains.com>

Hello,

I've noticed that at least since Git 1.7.2.3 custom pretty format behaves strangely if there is a null-byte in the format:

Without null byte:

> git log --pretty=format:%H-%ct

Outputs something like:

ee5d714b95d133ff555bc8c7933dc752b5b277f5-1285954314 cb1b9dd688d9cf155257c94e749172820b56d87a-1285954240 b4c75be10b14d021003853e527e47ad88dc5a55b-1285833610 1963187da6a45f898e62e4e922faac6b9382b4e4-1285807494

With a null byte

> git log --pretty=format:%H%x00%ct

Ignores anything appearing after the null byte:

ee5d714b95d133ff555bc8c7933dc752b5b277f5 cb1b9dd688d9cf155257c94e749172820b56d87a b4c75be10b14d021003853e527e47ad88dc5a55b 1963187da6a45f898e62e4e922faac6b9382b4e4

Other bytes behave fine.

Using %x00 worked in Git 1.7.1 and stopped working in 1.7.2.3 (or even earlier).

Is it a bug or a feature (not allowing null bytes in the custom format anymore)?

If it is a feature, the documentation should have note about it. Now it's even proposing to use %x00:
            %x00: print a byte from a hex code

Thanks a lot.

---------------------------------- Kirill Likhodedov JetBrains, Inc http://www.jetbrains.com "Develop with pleasure!"