# Possible BUG in 'git log -z' last commit is not '\0' terminated 4 messages from 2007-06-22 to 2007-06-23. Participants: Marco Costalba, Junio C Hamano, Linus Torvalds. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/8683 ## Marco Costalba, 2007-06-22 19:27 Subject: Possible BUG in 'git log -z' last commit is not '\0' terminated Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/e5bfff550706221227x4b785698taabfa7572bf8204b%40mail.gmail.com ``` It seems '-z' option is not honoured by the last revision printed that is just '\n' terminated. Thanks Marco ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2007-06-22 21:29 Subject: Re: Possible BUG in 'git log -z' last commit is not '\0' terminated Message-ID: <7vlkebada8.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.pobox.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vlkebada8.fsf%40assigned-by-dhcp.pobox.com In-Reply-To: ``` I am a bit busy right now and do not have time to dig into this, but I suspect the LF you are seeing at the end belongs to the commit log of the last entry, as I think -z is not about termination but separation. ``` ## Linus Torvalds, 2007-06-22 21:56 Subject: Re: Possible BUG in 'git log -z' last commit is not '\0' terminated Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/alpine.LFD.0.98.0706221451570.3593%40woody.linux-foundation.org In-Reply-To: ``` On Fri, 22 Jun 2007, Marco Costalba wrote: > > It seems '-z' option is not honoured by the last revision printed that > is just '\n' terminated. It's not a bug - it's by design. What the -z option does is to replace the normal "\n" that delineates commits from each other with a "\0". And we only put that delimeter in *between* commits, not *after* commits. The reason? It's prettier. Do a git log -1 to get a single commit, and notice how we do *not* add an empty line at the end (or beginning), and compare that to git log -2 that shows two commits, and has an empty line in *between*. Now, add the "-z" flag, and notice how that empty line is now replaced by a "\0" character instead. So you should think of the "\0" as being a delimeter that goes between commits, not something that "ends" the commit. It's not a "end of record" thing, it's a "between records" thing. Linus ``` ## Marco Costalba, 2007-06-23 05:51 Subject: Re: Possible BUG in 'git log -z' last commit is not '\0' terminated Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/e5bfff550706222251kdc6ccb4s6caf0195682ab727%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On 6/22/07, Linus Torvalds wrote: > > So you should think of the "\0" as being a delimeter that goes between > commits, not something that "ends" the commit. It's not a "end of record" > thing, it's a "between records" thing. > Thanks for explanation. Interesting enough git-dif-tree with -z, documented as "-z \0 line termination on output" has a different behaviour, with and without -p option: git diff-tree -z HEAD ---> a '\0' is printed at the end git diff-tree -z -p HEAD --> No '\0' is printed. I suppose 'git log' passes '-z' to 'git diff-tree' because no documentation exsists in 'git log' man page. Thanks Marco BTW git-rev-list --header uses '\0' differently (appends to each record), but that's another story. ```