# git config oddity 5 messages from 2008-07-15 to 2008-07-15. Participants: Sverre Rabbelier, Johannes Schindelin. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/14466 ## Sverre Rabbelier, 2008-07-15 14:44 Subject: git config oddity Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/bd6139dc0807150744l78eb8d54ld167d3a9a5a600f%40mail.gmail.com ``` Heya, I noticed today that when unsetting the last value in a group git config leaves the empty group header. I was somewhat surprised here, but I am guessing it has a purpose? Anyway, I also noticed (and this threw my manual config parser off) that when later on an option is set to that empty group, a new group is created with the same name. Is this something I have to deal with in my parser (e.g., should I keep scanning the file for occurrences of my header and allow for empty groups, or is this a bug in git config? Either is fine with me, was just wondering :). ----------------- sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code$ mkdir config-oddity sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code$ cd config-oddity/ sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ git init Initialized empty Git repository in /home/sverre/code/config-oddity/.git/ sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ cat .git/config [core] repositoryformatversion = 0 filemode = true bare = false logallrefupdates = true sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ git config foo.bar spam sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ cat .git/config # as expected [core] repositoryformatversion = 0 filemode = true bare = false logallrefupdates = true [foo] bar = spam sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ git config --unset foo.bar sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ cat .git/config # dubious, but acceptable [core] repositoryformatversion = 0 filemode = true bare = false logallrefupdates = true [foo] sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ git config foo.bar eggs sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ cat .git/config # errr? two [foo] headers? [core] repositoryformatversion = 0 filemode = true bare = false logallrefupdates = true [foo] [foo] bar = eggs sverre@Laptop-Sverre:~/code/config-oddity$ ----------------- -- Cheers, Sverre Rabbelier ``` ## Johannes Schindelin, 2008-07-15 15:02 Subject: Re: git config oddity Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/alpine.DEB.1.00.0807151600170.8950%40racer In-Reply-To: ``` Hi, On Tue, 15 Jul 2008, Sverre Rabbelier wrote: > I noticed today that when unsetting the last value in a group git > config leaves the empty group header. That is on purpose. As .git/config was always meant as a user-editable file, you can put comments into that section. Or comment out some values. So "git config" does not remove the section, even if no variable is there at the moment. It is somewhat unfortunate that setting a variable does not find the section; the reason is that it sees sections only when a variable is set (to avoid having to do the parsing itself). Hth, Dscho ``` ## Sverre Rabbelier, 2008-07-15 15:29 Subject: Re: git config oddity Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/bd6139dc0807150829n2b3c88d7p18c203e93cd4e0c1%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 5:02 PM, Johannes Schindelin wrote: >> I noticed today that when unsetting the last value in a group git >> config leaves the empty group header. > > That is on purpose. As .git/config was always meant as a user-editable > file, you can put comments into that section. Or comment out some values. Ok, this makes sense :). I agree that I would be unhappily surprised if I found that git removed a section that I had put some comments in when I unset a variable. > It is somewhat unfortunate that setting a variable does not find the > section; the reason is that it sees sections only when a variable is set > (to avoid having to do the parsing itself). Ah, unfortunate indeed. I'm not sure I understand why it does not see the existing header? I had a look at config.c but I couldn't really make out why it doesn't. Would it be difficult to add that? -- Cheers, Sverre Rabbelier ``` ## Johannes Schindelin, 2008-07-15 15:33 Subject: Re: git config oddity Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/alpine.DEB.1.00.0807151631520.8950%40racer In-Reply-To: ``` Hi, On Tue, 15 Jul 2008, Sverre Rabbelier wrote: > On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 5:02 PM, Johannes Schindelin > wrote: > > > It is somewhat unfortunate that setting a variable does not find the > > section; the reason is that it sees sections only when a variable is > > set (to avoid having to do the parsing itself). > > Ah, unfortunate indeed. I'm not sure I understand why it does not see > the existing header? I had a look at config.c but I couldn't really make > out why it doesn't. The config writing uses the config parser to determine where the locations of the config variables (and therefore, sections) are by using the parser, and remembering the position in the file. > Would it be difficult to add that? Yes. Ciao, Dscho ``` ## Sverre Rabbelier, 2008-07-15 15:35 Subject: Re: git config oddity Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/bd6139dc0807150835p1da70becj7fe28f6fa7d79ed5%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 5:33 PM, Johannes Schindelin wrote: > The config writing uses the config parser to determine where the locations > of the config variables (and therefore, sections) are by using the parser, > and remembering the position in the file. Ok, thanks for the explanation, I'll add a workaround in my code. -- Cheers, Sverre Rabbelier ```