# [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' 5 messages from 2017-02-08 to 2017-02-09. Participants: Linus Torvalds, Cornelius Weig, Brandon Williams, Junio C Hamano, Stefan Beller. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/45080 ## Linus Torvalds, 2017-02-08 05:13 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/alpine.LFD.2.20.1702072113040.25002%40i7.lan ``` From: Linus Torvalds Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2017 21:05:28 -0800 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' The choice of '!' for a negative pathspec ends up not only not matching what we do for revisions, it's also a horrible character for shell expansion since it needs quoting. So add '^' as an alternative alias for an excluding pathspec entry. Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds --- pathspec.c | 6 ++++++ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+) diff --git a/pathspec.c b/pathspec.c index 7ababb315..ecad03406 100644 --- a/pathspec.c +++ b/pathspec.c @@ -224,6 +224,12 @@ static const char *parse_short_magic(unsigned *magic, const char *elem) char ch = *pos; int i; + /* Special case alias for '!' */ + if (ch == '^') { + *magic |= PATHSPEC_EXCLUDE; + continue; + } + if (!is_pathspec_magic(ch)) break; -- 2.12.0.rc0.1.g02555c1b2.dirty ``` ## Cornelius Weig, 2017-02-08 13:23 Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' Message-ID: <72ce071a-064d-5123-3248-d8486843c767@tngtech.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/72ce071a-064d-5123-3248-d8486843c767%40tngtech.com In-Reply-To: ``` As Duy pointed out, the glossary needs an update too. For this one, the cange can be minimal I think: diff --git a/Documentation/glossary-content.txt b/Documentation/glossary-content.txt index 8ad29e6..f127fe9 100644 --- a/Documentation/glossary-content.txt +++ b/Documentation/glossary-content.txt @@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ Glob magic is incompatible with literal magic. exclude;; After a path matches any non-exclude pathspec, it will be run - through all exclude pathspec (magic signature: `!`). If it + through all exclude pathspec (magic signature: `!` or `^`). If it matches, the path is ignored. -- ``` ## Brandon Williams, 2017-02-08 22:35 Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' Message-ID: <20170208223532.GB108686@google.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20170208223532.GB108686%40google.com In-Reply-To: ``` On 02/07, Linus Torvalds wrote: > > From: Linus Torvalds > Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2017 21:05:28 -0800 > Subject: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' > > The choice of '!' for a negative pathspec ends up not only not matching > what we do for revisions, it's also a horrible character for shell > expansion since it needs quoting. > > So add '^' as an alternative alias for an excluding pathspec entry. > > Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds > --- > pathspec.c | 6 ++++++ > 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+) > > diff --git a/pathspec.c b/pathspec.c > index 7ababb315..ecad03406 100644 > --- a/pathspec.c > +++ b/pathspec.c > @@ -224,6 +224,12 @@ static const char *parse_short_magic(unsigned *magic, const char *elem) > char ch = *pos; > int i; > > + /* Special case alias for '!' */ > + if (ch == '^') { > + *magic |= PATHSPEC_EXCLUDE; > + continue; > + } > + > if (!is_pathspec_magic(ch)) > break; I like adding '^' to be an alias for excluding patterns. There have been numerous times where I have wanted to use exclude patterns and forgotten that I've needed to do some escape magic to get my shell to leave '!' alone. The only issue I see with doing this is that if a user supplies an exclude pattern for a command which doesn't support exclude pathspec magic the unsupported_magic() function will have slightly cryptic output. git cmd -- :^dir would produce some output which says: ':^dir': pathspec magic not supported by this command: 'exclude' (mnemonic: '!') And the user may scratch their head for a second since they didn't supply the '!' character, but rather '^'. That being said I think it should be fine since the long name of the magic is also printed so the user should be able to figure out what's wrong. I also don't think there are any users of pathspecs which disallow exclude magic so this may not even be an issue. -- Brandon Williams ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2017-02-08 23:05 Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqq37fouvu3.fsf%40gitster.mtv.corp.google.com In-Reply-To: <20170208223532.GB108686@google.com> ``` Brandon Williams writes: > git cmd -- :^dir > > would produce some output which says: > ':^dir': pathspec magic not supported by this command: 'exclude' (mnemonic: '!') > > And the user may scratch their head for a second since they didn't > supply the '!' character, but rather '^'. Yup, I am tempted to tweak Cornelius's glossary fixup and squash this into the series, for two purposes. - it makes it clear that '^' and '!' mean the same thing (and clearer than Cornelius's original, "! or ^", which could leave the reader wondering "ok there are two ways to say negative; do they subtly mean different things?"). - it hints that '!' is the more official spelling, making the output you showed above acceptable. diff --git a/Documentation/glossary-content.txt b/Documentation/glossary-content.txt index 8ad29e61a9..822ca83264 100644 --- a/Documentation/glossary-content.txt +++ b/Documentation/glossary-content.txt @@ -386,8 +386,8 @@ Glob magic is incompatible with literal magic. exclude;; After a path matches any non-exclude pathspec, it will be run - through all exclude pathspec (magic signature: `!`). If it - matches, the path is ignored. + through all exclude pathspec (magic signature: `!` or its + synonym `^`). If it matches, the path is ignored. -- [[def_parent]]parent:: ``` ## Stefan Beller, 2017-02-08 23:16 Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] pathspec magic: add '^' as alias for '!' Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAGZ79kaGtsaAKbjaX1b%2BfS_pqAZPsoFLHjf9CpwffP7uBV4R3g%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 3:05 PM, Junio C Hamano wrote: > - it hints that '!' is the more official spelling, making the > output you showed above acceptable. Long term , I'd rather have ^ as the "official" spelling as that is easier to teach to people. ! being a historic mistake as it is hard to type? ```