From: Nguyen Thai Ngoc Duy <pclouds@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:44:55 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Allow 'git cmd -h' outside of repository
Message-ID: <fcaeb9bf0808290444n579590a3ob01f7b4178e7a210@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.DEB.1.00.0808291333010.24820@pacific.mpi-cbg.de.mpi-cbg.de>

On 8/29/08, Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
>  On Thu, 28 Aug 2008, SZEDER Gábor wrote:
>
>  > Printing usage strings of git commands should obviously not depend on
>  > the command being run inside a git repository.  However, in case of a
>  > command requiring a repository, the command line options are parsed only
>  > after it is ensured that the command was started inside a repository,
>  > resulting in a 'fatal: Not a git repository' if 'git cmd -h' wasn't
>  > executed inside a repository.
>  >
>  > To get around this issue, we will check early for the presence of '-h'
>  > option, and skip ensuring that the command is run inside a repository.
>
>
> You miss the fact that "git grep -h" does not mean "show usage".  Oh, and
>  "git ls-remote -h" neither.  Three times's a charm: "git show-ref -h" does
>  not show the help either.
>
>  I am also not quite certain if we should not just tout "git help <cmd>" as
>  the official way to request help.

No we should not (at least to me), usage strings are shorter and don't
require man.  As for allowing "git cmd -h" outside repository, I think
Jeff's idea of refactoring setup procedure, setting up if possible but
not barfing, would solve it.
-- 
Duy