threads / patch / 64544

patchbranch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)

Subject: [PATCH] branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)

## tl;dr

5 messages between Nov 28, 2025 and Dec 2, 2025. Diffs are folded; open one to read it.

replies: 4people: 2as markdown or json

kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com· Nov 28, 2025, 12:54 UTC · lore

From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>

8fbd903e (branch: advise about ref syntax rules, 2024-03-05) added an advice about checking git-check-ref-format(1) for the ref syntax rules. The advice uses man(1). It’s better to use Git’s own git-help(1) instead of an external command.

Also change to using single quotes (') to quote the command since that is more conventional.

While here let’s also update the test to use `{SQ}`, which is more readable and easier to edit.

Signed-off-by: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
---
 branch.c          | 2 +-
 builtin/branch.c  | 2 +-
 t/t3200-branch.sh | 6 +++---
 3 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

Show changes to 3 files +5 −5

branch.c, builtin/branch.c, t/t3200-branch.sh

diff --git a/branch.c b/branch.c
index 26be3583471..243db7d0fc0 100644
--- a/branch.c
+++ b/branch.c
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ int validate_branchname(const char *name, struct strbuf *ref)
 	if (check_branch_ref(ref, name)) {
 		int code = die_message(_("'%s' is not a valid branch name"), name);
 		advise_if_enabled(ADVICE_REF_SYNTAX,
-				  _("See `man git check-ref-format`"));
+				  _("See 'git help check-ref-format'"));
 		exit(code);
 	}
 
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 9fcf04bebb2..c577b5d20f2 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ static void copy_or_rename_branch(const char *oldname, const char *newname, int
 		else {
 			int code = die_message(_("invalid branch name: '%s'"), oldname);
 			advise_if_enabled(ADVICE_REF_SYNTAX,
-					  _("See `man git check-ref-format`"));
+					  _("See 'git help check-ref-format'"));
 			exit(code);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/t/t3200-branch.sh b/t/t3200-branch.sh
index f3e720dc10d..c58e505c43f 100755
--- a/t/t3200-branch.sh
+++ b/t/t3200-branch.sh
@@ -1707,9 +1707,9 @@ test_expect_success '--track overrides branch.autoSetupMerge' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'errors if given a bad branch name' '
-	cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
-	fatal: '\''foo..bar'\'' is not a valid branch name
-	hint: See `man git check-ref-format`
+	cat <<-EOF >expect &&
+	fatal: ${SQ}foo..bar${SQ} is not a valid branch name
+	hint: See ${SQ}git help check-ref-format${SQ}
 	hint: Disable this message with "git config set advice.refSyntax false"
 	EOF
 	test_must_fail git branch foo..bar >actual 2>&1 &&

base-commit: 9a2fb147f2c61d0cab52c883e7e26f5b7948e3ed

-- 
2.52.0.10.g08704017180

Junio C Hamano· Nov 28, 2025, 16:40 UTC · re: kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com · lore

Re: [PATCH] branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)

kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com writes:

Show 6 quoted lines

> From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
>
> 8fbd903e (branch: advise about ref syntax rules, 2024-03-05) added
> an advice about checking git-check-ref-format(1) for the ref syntax
> rules. The advice uses man(1). It’s better to use Git’s own git-help(1)
> instead of an external command.

Substatiate "better" a bit better? If there were a universal help facility, we wouldn't have had to invent our own, and that would have been even better, but since we do not live in such an ideal world, we cater to people who live in a man-less land by having our own.

In other words, "An external command" is not the issue. Some people living in a man-less land is.

    ... for the ref syntax rules and refers to the man(1) command,
    which may not be available on some platforms.  Refer to 'git
    help' instead.

> Also change to using single quotes (') to quote the command since that
> is more conventional.

Yup. We haven't added markdown or asciidoc interpreter to our advise() machinery ;-)

Junio C Hamano· Nov 29, 2025, 01:56 UTC · re: Junio C Hamano · lore

Re: [PATCH] branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

> In other words, "An external command" is not the issue.  Some people
> living in a man-less land is.

Another is that a user with access to "man" may prefer "html" (with "git help -w" or "help.format"). So this is only ...

>     ... for the ref syntax rules and refers to the man(1) command,
>     which may not be available on some platforms.  Refer to 'git
>     help' instead.

... half a story.

    ... which may not be available on some platforms, or which the
    user may prefer less.  Refer to 'git help' instead.

Kristoffer Haugsbakk· Dec 2, 2025, 15:28 UTC · re: Junio C Hamano · lore

Re: [PATCH] branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)

On Fri, Nov 28, 2025, at 17:40, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 21 quoted lines

> kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com writes:
>
>> From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
>>
>> 8fbd903e (branch: advise about ref syntax rules, 2024-03-05) added
>> an advice about checking git-check-ref-format(1) for the ref syntax
>> rules. The advice uses man(1). It’s better to use Git’s own git-help(1)
>> instead of an external command.
>
> Substatiate "better" a bit better?  If there were a universal help
> facility, we wouldn't have had to invent our own, and that would
> have been even better, but since we do not live in such an ideal
> world, we cater to people who live in a man-less land by having our
> own.
>
> In other words, "An external command" is not the issue.  Some people
> living in a man-less land is.
>
>     ... for the ref syntax rules and refers to the man(1) command,
>     which may not be available on some platforms.  Refer to 'git
>     help' instead.

I thought that’s what I did. This is output from git(1), not from a Debian/Ubuntu/Arch Linux distribution.

But people who only use Mac/Linux/(BSDs?) might not necessarily consider this point. So I’ll make it clearer.

kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com· Dec 2, 2025, 15:56 UTC · re: kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com · lore

[PATCH v2] branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)

From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>

8fbd903e (branch: advise about ref syntax rules, 2024-03-05) added an advice about checking git-check-ref-format(1) for the ref syntax rules. The advice uses man(1). But git(1) is a multi-platform tool and man(1) may not be available on some platforms. It might also be slightly jarring to see a suggestion for running a command which is not from the Git suite.

Let’s instead use git-help(1) in order to stay inside the land of git(1). This also means that `help.format` (for `man`, `html` or other formats) will be used if set.

Also change to using single quotes (') to quote the command since that is more conventional.

While here let’s also update the test to use `{SQ}`, which is more readable and easier to edit.

Signed-off-by: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
---

Notes (series):
    v2:
    
    Improve commit message by expanding on why we want git-help(1) over man(1)
    according to feedback from <xmqq345yjejo.fsf@gitster.g>.
    
    See this part:
    
    > But git(1) is a multi-platform tool and man(1) may not be available on
    > some platforms.
    
    This is according to the feedback from that email. But is that really true
    when e.g. Git For Windows bundles a Linux subsystem with Git Bash?

 branch.c          | 2 +-
 builtin/branch.c  | 2 +-
 t/t3200-branch.sh | 6 +++---
 3 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

Show changes to 3 files +5 −5

branch.c, builtin/branch.c, t/t3200-branch.sh

diff --git a/branch.c b/branch.c
index 26be3583471..243db7d0fc0 100644
--- a/branch.c
+++ b/branch.c
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ int validate_branchname(const char *name, struct strbuf *ref)
 	if (check_branch_ref(ref, name)) {
 		int code = die_message(_("'%s' is not a valid branch name"), name);
 		advise_if_enabled(ADVICE_REF_SYNTAX,
-				  _("See `man git check-ref-format`"));
+				  _("See 'git help check-ref-format'"));
 		exit(code);
 	}
 
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 9fcf04bebb2..c577b5d20f2 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ static void copy_or_rename_branch(const char *oldname, const char *newname, int
 		else {
 			int code = die_message(_("invalid branch name: '%s'"), oldname);
 			advise_if_enabled(ADVICE_REF_SYNTAX,
-					  _("See `man git check-ref-format`"));
+					  _("See 'git help check-ref-format'"));
 			exit(code);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/t/t3200-branch.sh b/t/t3200-branch.sh
index f3e720dc10d..c58e505c43f 100755
--- a/t/t3200-branch.sh
+++ b/t/t3200-branch.sh
@@ -1707,9 +1707,9 @@ test_expect_success '--track overrides branch.autoSetupMerge' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'errors if given a bad branch name' '
-	cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
-	fatal: '\''foo..bar'\'' is not a valid branch name
-	hint: See `man git check-ref-format`
+	cat <<-EOF >expect &&
+	fatal: ${SQ}foo..bar${SQ} is not a valid branch name
+	hint: See ${SQ}git help check-ref-format${SQ}
 	hint: Disable this message with "git config set advice.refSyntax false"
 	EOF
 	test_must_fail git branch foo..bar >actual 2>&1 &&

Interdiff against v1:

Range-diff against v1:
1:  057269c683b ! 1:  8904bb016de branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1)
    @@ Commit message
     
         8fbd903e (branch: advise about ref syntax rules, 2024-03-05) added
         an advice about checking git-check-ref-format(1) for the ref syntax
    -    rules. The advice uses man(1). It’s better to use Git’s own git-help(1)
    -    instead of an external command.
    +    rules. The advice uses man(1). But git(1) is a multi-platform tool and
    +    man(1) may not be available on some platforms. It might also be slightly
    +    jarring to see a suggestion for running a command which is not from
    +    the Git suite.
    +
    +    Let’s instead use git-help(1) in order to stay inside the land of
    +    git(1). This also means that `help.format` (for `man`, `html` or other
    +    formats) will be used if set.
     
         Also change to using single quotes (') to quote the command since that
         is more conventional.
    @@ Commit message
     
         Signed-off-by: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
     
    +
    + ## Notes (series) ##
    +    v2:
    +
    +    Improve commit message by expanding on why we want git-help(1) over man(1)
    +    according to feedback from <xmqq345yjejo.fsf@gitster.g>.
    +
    +    See this part:
    +
    +    > But git(1) is a multi-platform tool and man(1) may not be available on
    +    > some platforms.
    +
    +    This is according to the feedback from that email. But is that really true
    +    when e.g. Git For Windows bundles a Linux subsystem with Git Bash?
    +
      ## branch.c ##
     @@ branch.c: int validate_branchname(const char *name, struct strbuf *ref)
      	if (check_branch_ref(ref, name)) {

base-commit: 9a2fb147f2c61d0cab52c883e7e26f5b7948e3ed

-- 
2.52.0.10.g08704017180