# [PATCH] Remove '< >' from [<options>] since it's not necessary.

4 messages from 2009-09-20 to 2009-09-21. Participants: Thiago Farina, tom fogal, Matthieu Moy.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/21012

## Thiago Farina, 2009-09-20 19:48

Subject: [PATCH] Remove '< >' from [<options>] since it's not necessary.
Message-ID: <1253476116-24284-1-git-send-email-tfransosi@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1253476116-24284-1-git-send-email-tfransosi%40gmail.com

```
Signed-off-by: Thiago Farina <tfransosi@gmail.com>
---
 builtin-log.c |    2 +-
 1 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/builtin-log.c b/builtin-log.c
index 25e21ed..1685546 100644
--- a/builtin-log.c
+++ b/builtin-log.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ static const char *fmt_patch_subject_prefix = "PATCH";
 static const char *fmt_pretty;
 
 static const char * const builtin_log_usage =
-	"git log [<options>] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
+	"git log [options] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
 	"   or: git show [options] <object>...";
 
 static void cmd_log_init(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
-- 
1.6.5.rc1.37.gf5c31.dirty

```

## tom fogal, 2009-09-20 20:52

Subject: Re: [PATCH] Remove '< >' from [<options>] since it's not necessary.
Message-ID: <auto-000020523806@sci.utah.edu>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/auto-000020523806%40sci.utah.edu
In-Reply-To: <1253476116-24284-1-git-send-email-tfransosi@gmail.com>

```
Thiago Farina <tfransosi@gmail.com> writes:
> -	"git log [<options>] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
> +	"git log [options] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
>  	"   or: git show [options] <object>...";

To me, "<blah>" implies to me that the other meant, "something which
is sort-of `blah'-ish but is not actually the string literal, `blah'",
whereas `blah' means, "the string literal, `blah'."

-tom

```

## tom fogal, 2009-09-20 21:12

Subject: Re: [PATCH] Remove '< >' from [<options>] since it's not necessary.
Message-ID: <auto-000020523897@sci.utah.edu>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/auto-000020523897%40sci.utah.edu
In-Reply-To: <auto-000020523806@sci.utah.edu>

```
tom fogal <tfogal@alumni.unh.edu> writes:
> Thiago Farina <tfransosi@gmail.com> writes:
> > -	"git log [<options>] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
> > +	"git log [options] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
> >  	"   or: git show [options] <object>...";
> 
> To me, "<blah>" implies to me that the other meant, "something which
                                         ^^^^^
... author.  sorry.

-tom

```

## Matthieu Moy, 2009-09-21 06:50

Subject: Re: [PATCH] Remove '< >' from [<options>] since it's not necessary.
Message-ID: <vpq7hvssse2.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpq7hvssse2.fsf%40bauges.imag.fr
In-Reply-To: <auto-000020523806@sci.utah.edu>

```
tom fogal <tfogal@alumni.unh.edu> writes:

> Thiago Farina <tfransosi@gmail.com> writes:
>> -	"git log [<options>] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
>> +	"git log [options] [<since>..<until>] [[--] <path>...]\n"
>>  	"   or: git show [options] <object>...";
>
> To me, "<blah>" implies to me that the author meant, "something which
> is sort-of `blah'-ish but is not actually the string literal, `blah'",
> whereas `blah' means, "the string literal, `blah'."

Strictly speaking, you're right, but in the particular case of
[options], it's rather well established that it means "one or several
options", and not the litteral "option". In any case, we should be
consistant:

Documentation$ grep -n '\[<options>\]' *.txt
git-log.txt:11:'git log' [<options>] [<since>..<until>] [[\--] <path>...]
git-stash.txt:11:'git stash' list [<options>]
git-stash.txt:67:list [<options>]::
Documentation$ grep -n '\[options\]' *.txt
git-annotate.txt:10:'git annotate' [options] file [revision]
gitcli.txt:84:usage: git-describe [options] <committish>*
git-cvsserver.txt:25:'git cvsserver' [options] [pserver|server] [<directory> ...]
git-fast-export.txt:11:'git fast-export [options]' | 'git fast-import'
git-fast-import.txt:11:frontend | 'git fast-import' [options]
git-rebase.txt:11:'git rebase' [-i | --interactive] [options] [--onto <newbase>]
git-rebase.txt:13:'git rebase' [-i | --interactive] [options] --onto <newbase>
git-rev-parse.txt:405:some-command [options] <args>...
git-send-email.txt:11:'git send-email' [options] <file|directory|rev-list options>...
git-show.txt:11:'git show' [options] <object>...
git-svn.txt:10:'git svn' <command> [options] [arguments]

=> either get rid of the 3 occurences of [<options>], not just one, or
get rid of all the [options]. My vote goes for the first.

--
Matthieu Moy
http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/

```