Merge branch 'jc/maint-checkout-fileglob-doc'

Updated with help from Peff.

* jc/maint-checkout-fileglob-doc:
  gitcli: contrast wildcard given to shell and to git
  gitcli: formatting fix
  Document file-glob for "git checkout -- '*.c'"
This commit is contained in:
Junio C Hamano
2012-09-12 14:22:08 -07:00
2 changed files with 30 additions and 1 deletions

View File

@ -37,11 +37,28 @@ arguments. Here are the rules:
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.
* Many commands allow wildcards in paths, but you need to protect
them from getting globbed by the shell. These two mean different
things:
+
--------------------------------
$ git checkout -- *.c
$ git checkout -- \*.c
--------------------------------
+
The former lets your shell expand the fileglob, and you are asking
the dot-C files in your working tree to be overwritten with the version
in the index. The latter passes the `*.c` to Git, and you are asking
the paths in the index that match the pattern to be checked out to your
working tree. After running `git add hello.c; rm hello.c`, you will _not_
see `hello.c` in your working tree with the former, but with the latter
you will.
Here are the rules regarding the "flags" that you should follow when you are
scripting git: