# git rm --pathspec-from-file does not work in subdirectories 4 messages from 2021-05-28 to 2021-05-28. Participants: Dietrich Epp, Junio C Hamano, Eric Sunshine. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/55787 ## Dietrich Epp, 2021-05-28 04:20 Subject: git rm --pathspec-from-file does not work in subdirectories Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAKGua8U25GF%3DmC%2BvRARRY99ZgaHoUOA7vppmOUdWoeB%3Dbf3NAA%40mail.gmail.com ``` How to reproduce: cd into a subdirectory and use git rm --pathspec-from-file. For example, in Git's repo, at the top level: $ git rm --pathspec-from-file=/dev/null fatal: No pathspec was given. Which files should I remove? $ cd compat $ git rm --pathspec-from-file=/dev/null fatal: --pathspec-from-file is incompatible with pathspec arguments However, git add works as expected. Tested on commit 5afd72a96f0a3f65a832fd1448d9de1c534aaa69 (master) ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2021-05-28 04:59 Subject: Re: git rm --pathspec-from-file does not work in subdirectories Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqlf7z78sb.fsf%40gitster.g In-Reply-To: ``` Dietrich Epp writes: > How to reproduce: cd into a subdirectory and use git rm > --pathspec-from-file. For example, in Git's repo, at the top level: > > $ git rm --pathspec-from-file=/dev/null > fatal: No pathspec was given. Which files should I remove? > $ cd compat > $ git rm --pathspec-from-file=/dev/null > fatal: --pathspec-from-file is incompatible with pathspec arguments Thanks for a report. I think this reveals issues with not just the --pathspec-from-file which has been added relatively recently, but potentially a larger issue "git rm" from subdirectory has. When run from a subdirectory, "git rm" without pathspec behaves as if a single "." (i.e. everything underneath the current directory) is given as the pathspec. Of course, this is incompatible with reading of the pathspec elements from a file and unfortunately it cannot be disabled, so there currently is no way to use the option if you are in a subdirectory. But a potentially larger problem is that "git rm -r" will remove everything under the current directory unless you are at the top level of the working tree, even when the user does not give "." to explicitly say "I want everything under the current directory gone". I wonder if the attached patch would make both issues better. ``` ## Eric Sunshine, 2021-05-28 05:08 Subject: Re: git rm --pathspec-from-file does not work in subdirectories Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAPig%2BcT6ztfUYjbsfFmYZ%3DUOcyk%3D9rFKqEuE%3DEE4y2rdBftGag%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 1:07 AM Junio C Hamano wrote: > I wonder if the attached patch would make both issues better. The "attached patch" is missing. ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2021-05-28 05:56 Subject: Re: git rm --pathspec-from-file does not work in subdirectories Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqh7in7650.fsf%40gitster.g In-Reply-To: ``` Eric Sunshine writes: > On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 1:07 AM Junio C Hamano wrote: >> I wonder if the attached patch would make both issues better. > > The "attached patch" is missing. Heh. Something along this line, but I think pathspec-from-file still needs a bit more work even with this patch. builtin/rm.c | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git c/builtin/rm.c w/builtin/rm.c index 8a24c715e0..a4a8a1ad8d 100644 --- c/builtin/rm.c +++ w/builtin/rm.c @@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ int cmd_rm(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix) builtin_rm_usage, 0); parse_pathspec(&pathspec, 0, - PATHSPEC_PREFER_CWD, + PATHSPEC_PREFER_FULL, prefix, argv); if (pathspec_from_file) { @@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ int cmd_rm(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix) die(_("--pathspec-from-file is incompatible with pathspec arguments")); parse_pathspec_file(&pathspec, 0, - PATHSPEC_PREFER_CWD, + PATHSPEC_PREFER_FULL, prefix, pathspec_from_file, pathspec_file_nul); } else if (pathspec_file_nul) { die(_("--pathspec-file-nul requires --pathspec-from-file")); ```