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Re: [PATCH 1/5] git.txt: HEAD is not that special

From
Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im>
Date
Dec 18, 2023, 08:46 UTC
Message-ID
<ZYAGyLH4nm4TebA_@tanuki>
In-Reply-To
<20231215203245.3622299-2-gitster@pobox.com>
On Fri, Dec 15, 2023 at 12:32:41PM -0800, Junio C Hamano wrote:
Show 31 quoted lines
> The introductory text in "git help git" that describes HEAD called
> it "a special ref".  It is special compared to the more regular refs
> like refs/heads/master and refs/tags/v1.0.0, but not that special,
> unlike truly special ones like FETCH_HEAD.
> 
> Rewrite a few sentences to also introduce the distinction between a
> regular ref that contain the object name and a symbolic ref that
> contain the name of another ref.  Update the description of HEAD
> that point at the current branch to use the more correct term, a
> "symbolic ref".
> 
> This was found as part of auditing the documentation and in-code
> comments for uses of "special ref" that refer merely a "pseudo ref".
> 
> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/git.txt | 7 ++++---
>  1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/git.txt b/Documentation/git.txt
> index 2535a30194..880cdc5d7f 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/git.txt
> @@ -1025,10 +1025,11 @@ When first created, objects are stored in individual files, but for
>  efficiency may later be compressed together into "pack files".
>  
>  Named pointers called refs mark interesting points in history.  A ref
> -may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref.  Refs
> -with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
> +may contain the SHA-1 name of an object or the name of another ref (the
> +latter is called a "symbolic ref").

On a tangent: While we have a name for symbolic refs, do we also have a name for non-symbolic refs? I often use the term "direct ref" to clearly distinguish them from symbolic refs, but it's of course not defined in our glossary.

Show 5 quoted lines
> +Refs with names beginning `ref/head/` contain the SHA-1 name of the most
>  recent commit (or "head") of a branch under development.  SHA-1 names of
> -tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A special ref named
> +tags of interest are stored under `ref/tags/`.  A symbolic ref named
>  `HEAD` contains the name of the currently checked-out branch.

I was briefly wondering whether we also want to replace SHA-1 with "object hash" while at it, but it's certainly out of the scope of this patch series.

Patrick
Previous: Ramsay JonesNext: Junio C Hamano
Message 12 of 26 in “make room for "special ref"”
  1. 0/5 make room for "special ref"Junio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  2. 2/5 git-bisect.txt: BISECT_HEAD is not that specialJunio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  3. 1/5 git.txt: HEAD is not that specialJunio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  4. Ramsay JonesDec 15, 2023
  5. Junio C HamanoDec 15, 2023
  6. Junio C HamanoDec 15, 2023
  7. doc: format.notes specify a ref under refs/notes/ hierarchyJunio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  8. Patrick SteinhardtDec 18, 2023
  9. Junio C HamanoDec 18, 2023
  10. Jiang XinDec 19, 2023
  11. Ramsay JonesDec 15, 2023
  12. Patrick SteinhardtDec 18, 2023
  13. Junio C HamanoDec 18, 2023
  14. 3/5 refs.h: HEAD is not that specialJunio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  15. Andy KoppeDec 16, 2023
  16. 4/5 docs: AUTO_MERGE is not that specialJunio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  17. 5/5 docs: MERGE_AUTOSTASH is not that specialJunio C Hamano, Dec 15, 2023
  18. Andy KoppeDec 16, 2023
  19. Junio C HamanoDec 15, 2023
  20. Ramsay JonesDec 15, 2023
  21. Junio C HamanoDec 16, 2023
  22. Patrick SteinhardtDec 18, 2023
  23. Andy KoppeDec 16, 2023
  24. Patrick SteinhardtDec 18, 2023
  25. Andy KoppeDec 16, 2023
  26. Patrick SteinhardtDec 18, 2023

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