# Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig 14 messages from 2012-09-26 to 2012-09-28. Participants: Ramkumar Ramachandra, David Aguilar, Junio C Hamano, Anurag Priyam, Matthieu Moy, Jeff King. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/31655 ## Ramkumar Ramachandra, 2012-09-26 14:14 Subject: Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CALkWK0nEP2gf4fYL%3DhjHg_U3X67M4PF1aupV%2BVJb9T6eBEo0MQ%40mail.gmail.com ``` Hi, I'd like to configure the location of ~/.gitconfig through an environment variable. My usecase is a simple enough: I have a repository with all my dotfiles, and I don't want to symlink ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig from $HOME after cloning it. Does anyone else think the feature will be useful? A couple of similar examples: 1. The git templates directory is configurable via the GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR variable. 2. The location of ~/.zshrc, ~/.zlogin etc is configurable via the ZDOTDIR variable in ZSH. Ram ``` ## David Aguilar, 2012-09-26 18:34 Subject: Re: Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAJDDKr6q1k%2BnM9VTukLvze2E6wRBrMOHeZRAoAbKp0MbGv4cQQ%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 7:14 AM, Ramkumar Ramachandra wrote: > Hi, > > I'd like to configure the location of ~/.gitconfig through an > environment variable. My usecase is a simple enough: I have a > repository with all my dotfiles, and I don't want to symlink > ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig from $HOME after cloning it. Does anyone else > think the feature will be useful? > > A couple of similar examples: > 1. The git templates directory is configurable via the > GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR variable. > 2. The location of ~/.zshrc, ~/.zlogin etc is configurable via the > ZDOTDIR variable in ZSH. There was some work recently to teach git about the XDG_CONFIG_HOME variable. Would that help, or are the XDG variables too global for your usage? -- David ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-09-27 06:09 Subject: Re: Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <7v6270t2tb.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7v6270t2tb.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: ``` Ramkumar Ramachandra writes: > I'd like to configure the location of ~/.gitconfig through an > environment variable. My usecase is a simple enough: I have a > repository with all my dotfiles, and I don't want to symlink > ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig from $HOME after cloning it. Does anyone else > think the feature will be useful? Not me. For that particular use case, my approach (long before I switched the vcs that controls my dotfiles to git) have always been to have ~/src that is version controlled, with a Makefile that builds/adjusts dotfiles appropriately for each box and installs them in the proper place. Of course, if .gitconfig _is_ the same across all boxes I use, that Makefile is likely to "install" by making a symlink ~/.gitconfig that points at src/dot/gitconfig without "building". ``` ## Anurag Priyam, 2012-09-27 06:40 Subject: Re: Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAD1m08Wz7WqP8Yxgc6xuhBSntQ0PS6hGOzHWrcd0VAbARmkuUA%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <7v6270t2tb.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> ``` On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 11:39 AM, Junio C Hamano wrote: > Ramkumar Ramachandra writes: > >> I'd like to configure the location of ~/.gitconfig through an >> environment variable. My usecase is a simple enough: I have a >> repository with all my dotfiles, and I don't want to symlink >> ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig from $HOME after cloning it. Does anyone else >> think the feature will be useful? > > Not me. For that particular use case, my approach (long before I > switched the vcs that controls my dotfiles to git) have always been > to have ~/src that is version controlled, with a Makefile that > builds/adjusts dotfiles appropriately for each box and installs them > in the proper place. Makefile is what I wanted to avoid when I suggested Ram that maybe Git could _optionally_ read the location of global gitconfig from an environment variable that can be exported in zshenv or bash_profile. I don't think either way is the best way of managing dotfiles. Just a matter of preference. The environment variable approach doesn't require you to run `make` everytime you sync your dotfiles across different machines, and that is what I like. Also, Git allows configuring the location of template directory via an environment variable (GIT_TEMPLATE_DIR). Since Git has already fixed the location of global gitconfig, it might as well read the location of template directory from there (init.templatedir). Why the added flexibility? Well, I have been exploiting the feature to manage git templates through my zsh configuration. -- Anurag Priyam ``` ## Ramkumar Ramachandra, 2012-09-27 06:49 Subject: Re: Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CALkWK0nYnyaoOsH_x8U96ADZT7VuP-pR36%2BRRcjTw39Kp1qCnw%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` Hi David, David Aguilar wrote: > Would that help, or are the XDG variables too global for your usage? Yeah, they're too global. I'll write a patch. Ram ``` ## Ramkumar Ramachandra, 2012-09-27 14:46 Subject: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <1348757171-3223-1-git-send-email-artagnon@gmail.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1348757171-3223-1-git-send-email-artagnon%40gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` Signed-off-by: Ramkumar Ramachandra --- Documentation/git-config.txt | 3 +++ path.c | 5 +++++ t/t1306-xdg-files.sh | 8 ++++++++ 3 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt index eaea079..c8db03f 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-config.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt @@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ $GIT_DIR/config:: User-specific configuration file. Also called "global" configuration file. +$GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG:: + Overrides the path of the global configuration file. + $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config:: Second user-specific configuration file. If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is not set or empty, $HOME/.config/git/config will be used. Any single-valued diff --git a/path.c b/path.c index cbbdf7d..9b09cee 100644 --- a/path.c +++ b/path.c @@ -131,10 +131,15 @@ char *git_path(const char *fmt, ...) void home_config_paths(char **global, char **xdg, char *file) { + char *global_config = getenv("GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG"); char *xdg_home = getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME"); char *home = getenv("HOME"); char *to_free = NULL; + if (global_config) { + *global = mkpathdup("%s", global_config); + return; + } if (!home) { if (global) *global = NULL; diff --git a/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh b/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh index 8b14ab1..5b0e08e 100755 --- a/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh +++ b/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh @@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ test_expect_success 'read config: xdg file exists and ~/.gitconfig exists' ' test_cmp expected actual ' +test_expect_success 'read config: $GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG is set and ~/.gitconfig exists' ' + >.gitconfig && + echo "[alias]" >.gittestconfig && + echo " myalias = !echo in_gitconfig" >>.gittestconfig && + echo in_gitconfig >expected && + GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG=~/.gittestconfig git myalias >actual && + test_cmp expected actual +' test_expect_success 'read with --get: xdg file exists and ~/.gitconfig doesn'\''t' ' rm .gitconfig && -- 1.7.8.1.362.g5d6df.dirty ``` ## Matthieu Moy, 2012-09-27 16:57 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpq626zjtds.fsf%40grenoble-inp.fr In-Reply-To: <1348757171-3223-1-git-send-email-artagnon@gmail.com> ``` Ramkumar Ramachandra writes: > diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt > index eaea079..c8db03f 100644 > --- a/Documentation/git-config.txt > +++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt > @@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ $GIT_DIR/config:: > User-specific configuration file. Also called "global" > configuration file. > > +$GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG:: > + Overrides the path of the global configuration file. > + I'm not particularly in favor of introducing another environment variable, but if you are to introduce it, why just override the configuration file, and not $HOME completely (e.g. to override $HOME/.git-credentials too). There was a patch proposing that here ($GIT_HOME to override $HOME): http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/135447/focus=135494 I don't remember exactly what happened to the patch, I can't find an explicit reason to reject it in the thread, but it seems it didn't make its way to git.git. > index cbbdf7d..9b09cee 100644 > --- a/path.c > +++ b/path.c > @@ -131,10 +131,15 @@ char *git_path(const char *fmt, ...) > > void home_config_paths(char **global, char **xdg, char *file) > { > + char *global_config = getenv("GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG"); > char *xdg_home = getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME"); > char *home = getenv("HOME"); > char *to_free = NULL; > > + if (global_config) { > + *global = mkpathdup("%s", global_config); > + return; > + } If you return here, haven't you completely broken the XDG stuff, since *xdg is set a few lines below in the function? Also, I guess home_config_paths(..., "ignore") will return the path to the configuration file instead of the ignore file? > --- a/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh > +++ b/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh > @@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ test_expect_success 'read config: xdg file exists and ~/.gitconfig exists' ' > test_cmp expected actual > ' > > +test_expect_success 'read config: $GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG is set and ~/.gitconfig exists' ' > + >.gitconfig && > + echo "[alias]" >.gittestconfig && > + echo " myalias = !echo in_gitconfig" >>.gittestconfig && > + echo in_gitconfig >expected && > + GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG=~/.gittestconfig git myalias >actual && > + test_cmp expected actual > +' You should check that "git config --set" works too, as the codepath for writing to configuration is relatively different from the one to read. For example, I *think* that "git config --global" will write to $GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG and "git config" without --global will ignore it, but a test would be welcome. -- Matthieu Moy http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/ ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-09-27 17:16 Subject: Re: Configuring the location of ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <7vzk4bqtd1.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vzk4bqtd1.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: ``` Anurag Priyam writes: >> Not me. For that particular use case, my approach (long before I >> switched the vcs that controls my dotfiles to git) have always been >> to have ~/src that is version controlled, with a Makefile that >> builds/adjusts dotfiles appropriately for each box and installs them >> in the proper place. > > Makefile is what I wanted to avoid when I suggested Ram that maybe Git > could _optionally_ read the location of global gitconfig from an > environment variable that can be exported in zshenv or bash_profile. Where exactly do the "zshenv" and "bash_profile" you mention reside, and how are their contents kept up to date? I am guessing it is /net/srv1/home/ram/.bash_profile on machines that mount user home directories from srv1 NFS server and it is to have a string like "export GITCONFIG_FILE=/net/srv1/home/ram/dot/gitconfig" or on those machines. The contents of ~ram/dot/gitconfig may be able to stay the same across boxes, but how is ~ram/.bash_profile is set up? Manually? Again, I am not personally interested; I think aversion of Make is the root cause of the disease. ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-09-27 17:27 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <7vvcezqsug.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vvcezqsug.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: <1348757171-3223-1-git-send-email-artagnon@gmail.com> ``` Ramkumar Ramachandra writes: > Signed-off-by: Ramkumar Ramachandra > --- > Documentation/git-config.txt | 3 +++ > path.c | 5 +++++ > t/t1306-xdg-files.sh | 8 ++++++++ > 3 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-) > > diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt > index eaea079..c8db03f 100644 > --- a/Documentation/git-config.txt > +++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt > @@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ $GIT_DIR/config:: > User-specific configuration file. Also called "global" > configuration file. > > +$GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG:: > + Overrides the path of the global configuration file. > + Why is this even a good idea? - Does it make sense not to read $HOME/.gitconfig or XDG stuff when this is set? Why skip them? If it makes sense to skip them, why doesn't it also skip $GIT_DIR/config and/or /etc/gitconfig? - Why is it not "the third user-specific configuration file" instead? - Why is it not "a list of paths to read configurations from"? - Where does it end? Not overly impressed, I'd have to say. > diff --git a/path.c b/path.c > index cbbdf7d..9b09cee 100644 > --- a/path.c > +++ b/path.c > @@ -131,10 +131,15 @@ char *git_path(const char *fmt, ...) > > void home_config_paths(char **global, char **xdg, char *file) > { > + char *global_config = getenv("GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG"); > char *xdg_home = getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME"); > char *home = getenv("HOME"); > char *to_free = NULL; > > + if (global_config) { > + *global = mkpathdup("%s", global_config); > + return; > + } > if (!home) { > if (global) > *global = NULL; > diff --git a/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh b/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh > index 8b14ab1..5b0e08e 100755 > --- a/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh > +++ b/t/t1306-xdg-files.sh > @@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ test_expect_success 'read config: xdg file exists and ~/.gitconfig exists' ' > test_cmp expected actual > ' > > +test_expect_success 'read config: $GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG is set and ~/.gitconfig exists' ' > + >.gitconfig && > + echo "[alias]" >.gittestconfig && > + echo " myalias = !echo in_gitconfig" >>.gittestconfig && > + echo in_gitconfig >expected && > + GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG=~/.gittestconfig git myalias >actual && How is this tilde expanded and by whom? ``` ## Jeff King, 2012-09-27 17:35 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <20120927173532.GD1547@sigill.intra.peff.net> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20120927173532.GD1547%40sigill.intra.peff.net In-Reply-To: <1348757171-3223-1-git-send-email-artagnon@gmail.com> ``` On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 08:16:11PM +0530, Ramkumar Ramachandra wrote: > diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt > index eaea079..c8db03f 100644 > --- a/Documentation/git-config.txt > +++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt > @@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ $GIT_DIR/config:: > User-specific configuration file. Also called "global" > configuration file. > > +$GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG:: > + Overrides the path of the global configuration file. > + Like the other reviews, I am not overly enthused. If we are going to add a new variable, I think $GIT_HOME makes a lot more sense. But it really sounds like using $XDG_CONFIG_HOME would be even simpler. Also, have you considered using a config include? Like: $ echo '[include]path = ~/my-dotfiles/gitconfig' >~/.gitconfig It's a one-time setup, and then you get updates inside my-dotfiles forever. The one-time setup is annoying, but you have to bootstrap somehow (e.g., you're going to have to copy a .profile or similar to get the GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG variable set). -Peff ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-09-27 17:50 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <7vk3vfqrrp.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vk3vfqrrp.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: ``` Matthieu Moy writes: > Ramkumar Ramachandra writes: > >> diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt >> index eaea079..c8db03f 100644 >> --- a/Documentation/git-config.txt >> +++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt >> @@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ $GIT_DIR/config:: >> User-specific configuration file. Also called "global" >> configuration file. >> >> +$GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG:: >> + Overrides the path of the global configuration file. >> + > > I'm not particularly in favor of introducing another environment > variable, but if you are to introduce it, why just override the > configuration file, and not $HOME completely (e.g. to override > $HOME/.git-credentials too). > > There was a patch proposing that here ($GIT_HOME to override $HOME): I think both of these are at the entrance of slippery slope to insanity I'd rather not to venture into. If somebody hates ~/.dotmanyfiles so much, why not do HOME=~/dots/, instead of having to set GIT_HOME to move ~/.gitconfig, FROTZ_HOME to move ~/.frotzconfig, MAIL_HOME to move ~/.mailrc, etc.? I wouldn't be surprised if some _other_ things break with your HOME pointing at a directory inside your home directory, but then it may be better to fix that other thing instead. ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-09-27 19:57 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: <7vtxujp7c6.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vtxujp7c6.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: <20120927173532.GD1547@sigill.intra.peff.net> ``` Jeff King writes: > Also, have you considered using a config include? Like: > > $ echo '[include]path = ~/my-dotfiles/gitconfig' >~/.gitconfig Very good suggestion. > ... you have to bootstrap > somehow (e.g., you're going to have to copy a .profile or similar to get > the GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG variable set). Exactly my thought ;-) ``` ## Matthieu Moy, 2012-09-27 20:51 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpqzk4bfaua.fsf%40grenoble-inp.fr In-Reply-To: <20120927173532.GD1547@sigill.intra.peff.net> ``` Jeff King writes: > Also, have you considered using a config include? Like: > > $ echo '[include]path = ~/my-dotfiles/gitconfig' >~/.gitconfig > > It's a one-time setup, and then you get updates inside my-dotfiles > forever. The one-time setup is annoying, but you have to bootstrap > somehow (e.g., you're going to have to copy a .profile or similar to get > the GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG variable set). I also strongly prefer symlinks or include over environment variables. Relying on environment variables makes the setup a bit fragile, partly because I often mess things up with my shell (e.g. I once had different shell and environment variables in ~/.xsession and in actual shells, hence different configuration depending on whether I launch stuff from my window-manager or from a shell). I could understand using environment variables for one-shot configuration change (e.g. HOME=/tmp/ git whatever), but then $HOME is sufficient in general. -- Matthieu Moy http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/ ``` ## Ramkumar Ramachandra, 2012-09-28 07:05 Subject: Re: [PATCH] config: introduce GIT_GLOBAL_CONFIG to override ~/.gitconfig Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CALkWK0%3DCCLrfM2Jr_JNVP0VQnp1dvRAkDjRrTsogvpD8rGrumw%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <20120927173532.GD1547@sigill.intra.peff.net> ``` Jeff King wrote: > Like the other reviews, I am not overly enthused. If we are going to add > a new variable, I think $GIT_HOME makes a lot more sense. But it really > sounds like using $XDG_CONFIG_HOME would be even simpler. > > Also, have you considered using a config include? Like: > > $ echo '[include]path = ~/my-dotfiles/gitconfig' >~/.gitconfig Sounds like this is the way to go. Or I could pick up Junio's suggestion to use a Makefile. I'll discontinue working on the patch. Thanks. Ram ```