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diff --git a/Documentation/gitcli.txt b/Documentation/gitcli.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..f734f97b8e --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/gitcli.txt @@ -0,0 +1,174 @@ +gitcli(7) +========= + +NAME +---- +gitcli - git command line interface and conventions + +SYNOPSIS +-------- +gitcli + + +DESCRIPTION +----------- + +This manual describes the convention used throughout git CLI. + +Many commands take revisions (most often "commits", but sometimes +"tree-ish", depending on the context and command) and paths as their +arguments. Here are the rules: + + * Revisions come first and then paths. + E.g. in `git diff v1.0 v2.0 arch/x86 include/asm-x86`, + `v1.0` and `v2.0` are revisions and `arch/x86` and `include/asm-x86` + are paths. + + * When an argument can be misunderstood as either a revision or a path, + they can be disambiguated by placing `\--` between them. + E.g. `git diff \-- HEAD` is, "I have a file called HEAD in my work + tree. Please show changes between the version I staged in the index + and what I have in the work tree for that file". not "show difference + between the HEAD commit and the work tree as a whole". You can say + `git diff HEAD \--` to ask for the latter. + + * Without disambiguating `\--`, git makes a reasonable guess, but errors + out and asking you to disambiguate when ambiguous. E.g. if you have a + file called HEAD in your work tree, `git diff HEAD` is ambiguous, and + you have to say either `git diff HEAD \--` or `git diff \-- HEAD` to + disambiguate. + +When writing a script that is expected to handle random user-input, it is +a good practice to make it explicit which arguments are which by placing +disambiguating `\--` at appropriate places. + +Here are the rules regarding the "flags" that you should follow when you are +scripting git: + + * it's preferred to use the non dashed form of git commands, which means that + you should prefer `git foo` to `git-foo`. + + * splitting short options to separate words (prefer `git foo -a -b` + to `git foo -ab`, the latter may not even work). + + * when a command line option takes an argument, use the 'sticked' form. In + other words, write `git foo -oArg` instead of `git foo -o Arg` for short + options, and `git foo --long-opt=Arg` instead of `git foo --long-opt Arg` + for long options. An option that takes optional option-argument must be + written in the 'sticked' form. + + * when you give a revision parameter to a command, make sure the parameter is + not ambiguous with a name of a file in the work tree. E.g. do not write + `git log -1 HEAD` but write `git log -1 HEAD --`; the former will not work + if you happen to have a file called `HEAD` in the work tree. + + +ENHANCED OPTION PARSER +---------------------- +From the git 1.5.4 series and further, many git commands (not all of them at the +time of the writing though) come with an enhanced option parser. + +Here is an exhaustive list of the facilities provided by this option parser. + + +Magic Options +~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Commands which have the enhanced option parser activated all understand a +couple of magic command line options: + +-h:: + gives a pretty printed usage of the command. ++ +--------------------------------------------- +$ git describe -h +usage: git describe [options] <committish>* + + --contains find the tag that comes after the commit + --debug debug search strategy on stderr + --all use any ref in .git/refs + --tags use any tag in .git/refs/tags + --abbrev [<n>] use <n> digits to display SHA-1s + --candidates <n> consider <n> most recent tags (default: 10) +--------------------------------------------- + +--help-all:: + Some git commands take options that are only used for plumbing or that + are deprecated, and such options are hidden from the default usage. This + option gives the full list of options. + + +Negating options +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Options with long option names can be negated by prefixing `--no-`. For +example, `git branch` has the option `--track` which is 'on' by default. You +can use `--no-track` to override that behaviour. The same goes for `--color` +and `--no-color`. + + +Aggregating short options +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Commands that support the enhanced option parser allow you to aggregate short +options. This means that you can for example use `git rm -rf` or +`git clean -fdx`. + + +Separating argument from the option +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +You can write the mandatory option parameter to an option as a separate +word on the command line. That means that all the following uses work: + +---------------------------- +$ git foo --long-opt=Arg +$ git foo --long-opt Arg +$ git foo -oArg +$ git foo -o Arg +---------------------------- + +However, this is *NOT* allowed for switches with an optional value, where the +'sticked' form must be used: +---------------------------- +$ git describe --abbrev HEAD # correct +$ git describe --abbrev=10 HEAD # correct +$ git describe --abbrev 10 HEAD # NOT WHAT YOU MEANT +---------------------------- + + +NOTES ON FREQUENTLY CONFUSED OPTIONS +------------------------------------ + +Many commands that can work on files in the working tree +and/or in the index can take `--cached` and/or `--index` +options. Sometimes people incorrectly think that, because +the index was originally called cache, these two are +synonyms. They are *not* -- these two options mean very +different things. + + * The `--cached` option is used to ask a command that + usually works on files in the working tree to *only* work + with the index. For example, `git grep`, when used + without a commit to specify from which commit to look for + strings in, usually works on files in the working tree, + but with the `--cached` option, it looks for strings in + the index. + + * The `--index` option is used to ask a command that + usually works on files in the working tree to *also* + affect the index. For example, `git stash apply` usually + merges changes recorded in a stash to the working tree, + but with the `--index` option, it also merges changes to + the index as well. + +`git apply` command can be used with `--cached` and +`--index` (but not at the same time). Usually the command +only affects the files in the working tree, but with +`--index`, it patches both the files and their index +entries, and with `--cached`, it modifies only the index +entries. + +See also http://marc.info/?l=git&m=116563135620359 and +http://marc.info/?l=git&m=119150393620273 for further +information. + +GIT +--- +Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite |