# [PATCH] document that git-tag can tag more than heads

3 messages from 2008-07-24 to 2008-07-24. Participants: Jonathan Nieder, Kalle Olavi Niemitalo.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/14651

## Jonathan Nieder, 2008-07-24 05:01

Subject: [PATCH] document that git-tag can tag more than heads
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.62.0807240000470.23113@harper.uchicago.edu>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/Pine.GSO.4.62.0807240000470.23113%40harper.uchicago.edu

```
After looking the git-tag manpage, someone on #git wondered how
to tag a commit that is not a branch head.  This patch changes
the synopsis to say "<commit-ish> | <object>" instead of
"<head>" to address his question.

Samuel Bronson had the idea of putting "<commit-ish> | <object>"
for "<object>" because most tags point to commits (and for the
rest of the manpage, all tags point to commits).

Signed-off-by: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@uchicago.edu>
---
 Documentation/git-tag.txt |    3 ++-
 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-tag.txt b/Documentation/git-tag.txt
index b8dc88f..1ce1d7d 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-tag.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-tag.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ git-tag - Create, list, delete or verify a tag object signed with GPG
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git tag' [-a | -s | -u <key-id>] [-f] [-m <msg> | -F <file>]  <name> [<head>]
+'git tag' [-a | -s | -u <key-id>] [-f] [-m <msg> | -F <file>]
+	<name> [<commit-ish> | <object>]
 'git tag' -d <name>...
 'git tag' [-n[<num>]] -l [<pattern>]
 'git tag' -v <name>...
-- 
1.5.6.3.549.g8ca11

```

## Kalle Olavi Niemitalo, 2008-07-24 08:48

Subject: Re: [PATCH] document that git-tag can tag more than heads
Message-ID: <87prp3652z.fsf@Astalo.kon.iki.fi>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/87prp3652z.fsf%40Astalo.kon.iki.fi
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.4.62.0807240000470.23113@harper.uchicago.edu>

```
Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@uchicago.edu> writes:

> Samuel Bronson had the idea of putting "<commit-ish> | <object>"
> for "<object>" because most tags point to commits (and for the
> rest of the manpage, all tags point to commits).

But the argument is not a <commit-ish>.  git.txt says:

        A command that takes a <commit-ish> argument ultimately
	wants to operate on a <commit> object but automatically
	dereferences <tag> objects that point at a <commit>.

git-tag does not automatically dereference tag objects that
point to a commit.  So if you want to use "|", then it should be
"<commit> | <object>".

```

## Jonathan Nieder, 2008-07-24 16:55

Subject: [PATCH v2] document that git-tag can tag more than heads
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.62.0807241148210.14325@harper.uchicago.edu>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/Pine.GSO.4.62.0807241148210.14325%40harper.uchicago.edu
In-Reply-To: <87prp3652z.fsf@Astalo.kon.iki.fi>

```
After looking the git-tag manpage, someone on #git wondered how
to tag a commit that is not a branch head.  This patch changes
the synopsis to say "<commit> | <object>" instead of "<head>" to
address his question.

Samuel Bronson had the idea of putting "<commit> | <object>"
for "<object>" because most tags point to commits (and for the
rest of the manpage, all tags point to commits).

Signed-off-by: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@uchicago.edu>
---
 Kalle Olavi Niemitalo wrote:

 > git-tag does not automatically dereference tag objects that
 > point to a commit.  So if you want to use "|", then it should be
 > "<commit> | <object>".

 Nice catch -- thanks.

 Documentation/git-tag.txt |    3 ++-
 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-tag.txt b/Documentation/git-tag.txt
index b8dc88f..046ab35 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-tag.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-tag.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ git-tag - Create, list, delete or verify a tag object signed with GPG
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git tag' [-a | -s | -u <key-id>] [-f] [-m <msg> | -F <file>]  <name> [<head>]
+'git tag' [-a | -s | -u <key-id>] [-f] [-m <msg> | -F <file>]
+	<name> [<commit> | <object>]
 'git tag' -d <name>...
 'git tag' [-n[<num>]] -l [<pattern>]
 'git tag' -v <name>...
-- 
1.5.6.3.549.g8ca11

```