# How to omit/alter the sigend-off line in a patch set? 2 messages from 2008-06-16 to 2008-06-16. Participants: Ian Brown, Jakub Narebski. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/13975 ## Ian Brown, 2008-06-16 10:24 Subject: How to omit/alter the sigend-off line in a patch set? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/d0383f90806160324j3f1b2a09tbb4caa1e934c7635%40mail.gmail.com ``` Hello, I am creating a patch set in this way: I make a change in one file, than commit it. (git commit file1) Then I make a change in a second file, than commit it. (git commit file1) and so on. Then I create a patch set thus: git-format-patch -M -s -n -o patchdir origin And a number of patch files are created, according to the number of commits I had made. Now, in each created patch file there is a line saying: Signed-off-by: root Which is caused as I am doing this patches as root, and the machine name is hostName (and the domain name is none). Now, is there a way to cause git-format-patch to omit this Signed-off-by: root line ? Or, altetnatively, is there a way to cause the git-format-patch to generate a differnet signed off by line (like signed off by ianbrn@gmail.com)? I had tried using the --signoff option for git-format-patch , in these two ways, but got an error: git-format-patch --signoff=ianbrn@gmail.com -M -n -o patchdir origin fatal: unrecognized argument: --signoff=ianbrn@gmail.com git-format-patch --signoff ianbrn@gmail.com -M -n -o patchdir origin fatal: ambiguous argument 'ianbrn@gmail.com': unknown revision or path not in the working tree. Use '--' to separate paths from revisions I also tried to use the -a flag for commit git-commit -a ianbrn@gmail.com but again it did not help either. Any ideas? Any help will be appreciated, Regards, Ian ``` ## Jakub Narebski, 2008-06-16 11:26 Subject: Re: How to omit/alter the sigend-off line in a patch set? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/m33andpqmi.fsf%40localhost.localdomain In-Reply-To: ``` "Ian Brown" writes: > I am creating a patch set in this way: > > I make a change in one file, than commit it. (git commit file1) > Then I make a change in a second file, than commit it. (git commit > file1) and so on. So you don't add Signed-off-by to yout commit. If you plan on sharing your work not only by sending patches, but by publishing your repository somwehere, it would be better to signoff your commit, so S-o-b is in "history", not only in mailing list archive... This can be done by using '-s' option to git-commit, i.e. $ git commit -s file1 or by adding signoff to your commit template, if you use it. By the way, usually one uses either $ git add file1; git commit or $ git commit -a (optionally with signoff). > Then I create a patch set thus: > > git-format-patch -M -s -n -o patchdir origin Adding '-s | --signoff' option is what creates Signed-off-by line. > And a number of patch files are created, according to the number of > commits I had made. > > > Now, in each created patch file there is a line saying: > Signed-off-by: root > > > Which is caused as I am doing this patches as root, and the machine > name is hostName (and the domain name is none). WHY do you work as ROOT? > Now, is there a way to cause git-format-patch to omit this > Signed-off-by: root line ? Simply do not add '-s' option to git-format-patch, and if signoff line was not present in commit, it wouldn't be present in patch. > Or, altetnatively, is there a way to cause the git-format-patch to > generate a different signed off by line (like signed off by > ianbrn@gmail.com)? You can configure git, either in repository config (.git/config), or in your user config (~/.gitconfig) by adding the following -- cut starts here -- [user] name = Ian Brown email = ianbrn@gmail.com -- cut ends here -- You can use git-config to set those config variables, but I think editing simple ini-like text file is simpler. But if you prefer, there is scriptable solution: $ git config --global user.name "Ian Brown" $ git config --global user.email ianbrn@gmail.com > I had tried using the --signoff option for git-format-patch, in > these two ways, but got an error: > > git-format-patch --signoff=ianbrn@gmail.com -M -n -o patchdir origin > fatal: unrecognized argument: --signoff=ianbrn@gmail.com According to git-format-patch(1) manpage the --signoff option does not accept any parameters. It always uses committer identity of yourself. > I also tried to use the -a flag for commit > $ git-commit -a ianbrn@gmail.com > but again it did not help either. Please, please read the documentation. git-commit -a has _nothing_ to do with signoff... -- Jakub Narebski Poland ShadeHawk on #git ```