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diff --git a/Documentation/gitcli.txt b/Documentation/gitcli.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..7ee5ce386f --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/gitcli.txt @@ -0,0 +1,113 @@ +gitcli(5) +========= + +NAME +---- +gitcli - git command line interface and conventions + +SYNOPSIS +-------- +gitcli + + +DESCRIPTION +----------- + +This manual describes best practice in how to use git CLI. Here are +the rules 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 CLI +------------ +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 +---------------------------- + + +Documentation +------------- +Documentation by Pierre Habouzit. + +GIT +--- +Part of the linkgit:git[7] suite |