threads / discuss / 29006

git reset --merge documentation improvments

Subject: git reset --merge documentation improvments

## tl;dr

3 messages between Nov 23, 2011 and Nov 23, 2011.

replies: 2people: 2as markdown or json

Philippe Vaucher· Nov 23, 2011, 08:31 UTC · lore

Hello,

The current documentation for --merge is:

"Resets the index [1] and updates the files in the working tree that are different between <commit> and HEAD, but keeps those which are different between the index [2] and working tree"

I think this is confusing, because [1] is the *after-reset* index and [2] is the *before-reset* index. If you fail to realise this it looks like this "resets index (so index is empty) and then updates worktree but skip files staged from index" --> "but there's nothing staged, the index was reset!"

I think a better sentence would be:

"Updates the files in the working tree that are different between <commit> and HEAD, but keeps those which are different between the index and working tree, and finally resets the index."

Or something along those lines.

Philippe

Vincent van Ravesteijn· Nov 23, 2011, 08:57 UTC · re: Philippe Vaucher · lore

Re: git reset --merge documentation improvments

Op 23-11-2011 9:31, Philippe Vaucher schreef:

Show 10 quoted lines

> Hello,
>
> The current documentation for --merge is:
>
> "Resets the index [1] and updates the files in the working tree that
> are different between<commit>  and HEAD, but keeps those which are
> different between the index [2] and working tree"
>
> I think this is confusing, because [1] is the *after-reset* index and
> [2] is the *before-reset* index.

You mean that you read that the *after-reset* index is reset ? They both refer to the *before-reset* index.

>   If you fail to realise this it looks
> like this "resets index (so index is empty) and then updates worktree
> but skip files staged from index" -->  "but there's nothing staged, the
> index was reset!"

The misunderstanding comes from the added "then".

Show 6 quoted lines

>
> I think a better sentence would be:
>
> "Updates the files in the working tree that are different between
> <commit>  and HEAD, but keeps those which are different between the
> index and working tree, and finally resets the index."

There is nothing to update as long as the index is not reset.

Vincent

Philippe Vaucher· Nov 23, 2011, 11:39 UTC · re: Vincent van Ravesteijn · lore

Re: git reset --merge documentation improvments

Show 5 quoted lines

>> "Updates the files in the working tree that are different between
>> <commit>  and HEAD, but keeps those which are different between the
>> index and working tree, and finally resets the index."
>
> There is nothing to update as long as the index is not reset.

Well then I simply don't understand what --merge does. Is it like --keep but instead of failing when a file-to-be-overwritten has changes it simply ignores the overwriting and continues?

Philippe