# --help for git commands

3 messages from 2022-04-24 to 2022-04-25. Participants: Dorian Marié, Shaoxuan Yuan, Philip Oakley.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/57787

## Dorian Marié, 2022-04-24 06:18

Subject: --help for git commands
Message-ID: <CAHZPcmD3xmsuM5XQzczqKQEcVXXXc=c9cH9cpqDNPTpBrwd2iA@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAHZPcmD3xmsuM5XQzczqKQEcVXXXc%3Dc9cH9cpqDNPTpBrwd2iA%40mail.gmail.com

```
Hi,

I think it would be nice to have a simple help like other programs do
when doing `git [subcommand] --help` or `git [subcommand] -h`.

It would be a short version of the manual.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Dorian

```

## Shaoxuan Yuan, 2022-04-25 06:22

Subject: Re: --help for git commands
Message-ID: <CAJyCBORnAsJjC6+JmDX_nMMnAEZbLbhVNK9QKB7cb88KGUsARQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAJyCBORnAsJjC6%2BJmDX_nMMnAEZbLbhVNK9QKB7cb88KGUsARQ%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <CAHZPcmD3xmsuM5XQzczqKQEcVXXXc=c9cH9cpqDNPTpBrwd2iA@mail.gmail.com>

```
On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 2:26 PM Dorian Marié <dorian@dorianmarie.fr> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I think it would be nice to have a simple help like other programs do
> when doing `git [subcommand] --help` or `git [subcommand] -h`.
>
> It would be a short version of the manual.

I think we do have a "simple help like other programs do".

You will get the git manual page for a command, for example, git-add,
with one of the followings:

`git add --help`
`git help add`
`man git-add`

Or, you can get a "short version of the manual", i.e. usage string, using this:

`git add -h`

-- 
Thanks & Regards,
Shaoxuan

```

## Philip Oakley, 2022-04-25 13:55

Subject: Re: --help for git commands
Message-ID: <f373dfbc-51b6-2985-68aa-412599df2b43@iee.email>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/f373dfbc-51b6-2985-68aa-412599df2b43%40iee.email
In-Reply-To: <CAJyCBORnAsJjC6+JmDX_nMMnAEZbLbhVNK9QKB7cb88KGUsARQ@mail.gmail.com>

```

Hi Dorian
On 25/04/2022 07:22, Shaoxuan Yuan wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 2:26 PM Dorian Marié <dorian@dorianmarie.fr> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I think it would be nice to have a simple help like other programs do
>> when doing `git [subcommand] --help` or `git [subcommand] -h`.
>>
>> It would be a short version of the manual.
> I think we do have a "simple help like other programs do".
>
> You will get the git manual page for a command, for example, git-add,
> with one of the followings:
>
> `git add --help`
> `git help add`
> `man git-add`
>
> Or, you can get a "short version of the manual", i.e. usage string, using this:
>
> `git add -h`
>
The `-h` option is listed in the command line interpreter (cli) guide
`git help cli`
and the help command is listed via the `git help help`, which also notes
the `git help git` method for getting git's own help/man page.

All part of the many 'obvious in retrospect' parts of Git ;-)

Philip

```