# git-branch manpage question

2 messages from 2008-09-16 to 2008-09-16. Participants: Mark Struberg, Michael J Gruber.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/15552

## Mark Struberg, 2008-09-16 14:46

Subject: git-branch manpage question
Message-ID: <957350.34177.qm@web27803.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/957350.34177.qm%40web27803.mail.ukl.yahoo.com

```
Hi!

I think i found an inconsistency in the documentation of the git-branch command:

*snip*
--track::
	.... Set the
	branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you want
	'git-checkout' and 'git-branch' to always behave as if 
	'--no-track' were given...
*snip*

and 

*snip*
--no-track::
	Ignore the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable.

*snip*

So, the description of branch.autosetupmerge is referencing --no-track and vice versa, thus the effective documentation is essentially missing as far as I understand.

txs and LieGrue,
strub

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```

## Michael J Gruber, 2008-09-16 16:25

Subject: Re: git-branch manpage question
Message-ID: <48CFDE0E.4020806@drmicha.warpmail.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/48CFDE0E.4020806%40drmicha.warpmail.net
In-Reply-To: <957350.34177.qm@web27803.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

```
Mark Struberg venit, vidit, dixit 16.09.2008 16:46:
> Hi!
> 
> I think i found an inconsistency in the documentation of the
> git-branch command:
> 
> *snip* --track:: .... Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration
> variable to `false` if you want 'git-checkout' and 'git-branch' to
> always behave as if '--no-track' were given... *snip*
> 
> and
> 
> *snip* --no-track:: Ignore the branch.autosetupmerge configuration
> variable.
> 
> *snip*
> 
> So, the description of branch.autosetupmerge is referencing
> --no-track and vice versa, thus the effective documentation is
> essentially missing as far as I understand.

Well, what's missing is the explanation that "--no-track" is the
opposite of "--track".  Do we really need to stress that?

The explanation of "--track" is in the "....", you left it out in your
quote.

Maybe the formulation is a bit suboptimal because it's squeezed more or
less forcibly into the option list concept. At "--track" there is a
description of what is meant by a tracking branch configuration. Now,
the logical flow is:

If --track is given, set up tracking.
If --no-track is given, don't set up tracking.
If none is given, check branch.autosetupmerge:
If it is false, don't set up tracking.
If it is always, set up tracking.
If it is unset (or true), check what kind of start point we branch off from:
If it is a remote, set up tracking.
If it is not a remote, don't set up tracking.

Admittedly, the description at --track is a bit contrived. But if you
read the DESCRIPTION section before the options things should become
clear. Maybe git-branch(1) should reference git-config(1).

Cheers,
Michael

```