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It is tempting to think of "files and directories" of the current directory as valid inputs to the add and set subcommands of git sparse-checkout. However, in non-cone mode, they often aren't and using them as potential completions leads to *many* forms of confusion: Issue #1. It provides the *wrong* files and directories. For git sparse-checkout add we always want to add files and directories not currently in our sparse checkout, which means we want file and directories not currently present in the current working tree. Providing the files and directories currently present is thus always wrong. For git sparse-checkout set we have a similar problem except in the subset of cases where we are trying to narrow our checkout to a strict subset of what we already have. That is not a very common scenario, especially since it often does not even happen to be true for the first use of the command; for years we required users to create a sparse-checkout via git sparse-checkout init git sparse-checkout set <args...> (or use a clone option that did the init step for you at clone time). The init command creates a minimal sparse-checkout with just the top-level directory present, meaning the set command has to be used to expand the checkout. Thus, only in a special and perhaps unusual cases would any of the suggestions from normal file and directory completion be appropriate. Issue #2: Suggesting patterns that lead to warnings is unfriendly. If the user specifies any regular file and omits the leading '/', then the sparse-checkout command will warn the user that their command is problematic and suggest they use a leading slash instead. Issue #3: Completion gets confused by leading '/', and provides wrong paths. Users often want to anchor their patterns to the toplevel of the repository, especially when listing individual files. There are a number of reasons for this, but notably even sparse-checkout encourages them to do so (as noted above). However, if users do so (via adding a leading '/' to their pattern), then bash completion will interpret the leading slash not as a request for a path at the toplevel of the repository, but as a request for a path at the root of the filesytem. That means at best that completion cannot help with such paths, and if it does find any completions, they are almost guaranteed to be wrong. Issue #4: Suggesting invalid patterns from subdirectories is unfriendly. There is no per-directory equivalent to .gitignore with sparse-checkouts. There is only a single worktree-global $GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout file. As such, paths to files must be specified relative to the toplevel of a repository. Providing suggestions of paths that are relative to the current working directory, as bash completion defaults to, is wrong when the current working directory is not the worktree toplevel directory. Issue #5: Paths with special characters will be interpreted incorrectly The entries in the sparse-checkout file are patterns, not paths. While most paths also qualify as patterns (though even in such cases it would be better for users to not use them directly but prefix them with a leading '/'), there are a variety of special characters that would need special escaping beyond the normal shell escaping: '*', '?', '\', '[', ']', and any leading '#' or '!'. If completion suggests any such paths, users will likely expect them to be treated as an exact path rather than as a pattern that might match some number of files other than 1. However, despite the first four issues, we can note that _if_ users are using tab completion, then they are probably trying to specify a path in the index. As such, we transform their argument into a top-level-rooted pattern that matches such a file. For example, if they type: git sparse-checkout add Make<TAB> we could "complete" to git sparse-checkout add /Makefile or, if they ran from the Documentation/technical/ subdirectory: git sparse-checkout add m<TAB> we could "complete" it to: git sparse-checkout add /Documentation/technical/multi-pack-index.txt Note in both cases I use "complete" in quotes, because we actually add characters both before and after the argument in question, so we are kind of abusing "bash completions" to be "bash completions AND beginnings". The fifth issue is a bit stickier, especially when you consider that we not only need to deal with escaping issues because of special meanings of patterns in sparse-checkout & gitignore files, but also that we need to consider escaping issues due to ls-files needing to sometimes quote or escape characters, and because the shell needs to escape some characters. The multiple interacting forms of escaping could get ugly; this patch makes no attempt to do so and simply documents that we decided to not deal with those corner cases for now but at least get the common cases right. Signed-off-by: Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Git - fast, scalable, distributed revision control system
Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations and full access to internals.
Git is an Open Source project covered by the GNU General Public License version 2 (some parts of it are under different licenses, compatible with the GPLv2). It was originally written by Linus Torvalds with help of a group of hackers around the net.
Please read the file INSTALL for installation instructions.
Many Git online resources are accessible from https://git-scm.com/ including full documentation and Git related tools.
See Documentation/gittutorial.txt to get started, then see
Documentation/giteveryday.txt for a useful minimum set of commands, and
Documentation/git-<commandname>.txt for documentation of each command.
If git has been correctly installed, then the tutorial can also be
read with man gittutorial or git help tutorial, and the
documentation of each command with man git-<commandname> or git help <commandname>.
CVS users may also want to read Documentation/gitcvs-migration.txt
(man gitcvs-migration or git help cvs-migration if git is
installed).
The user discussion and development of Git take place on the Git mailing list -- everyone is welcome to post bug reports, feature requests, comments and patches to git@vger.kernel.org (read Documentation/SubmittingPatches for instructions on patch submission and Documentation/CodingGuidelines).
Those wishing to help with error message, usage and informational message
string translations (localization l10) should see po/README.md
(a po file is a Portable Object file that holds the translations).
To subscribe to the list, send an email with just "subscribe git" in the body to majordomo@vger.kernel.org (not the Git list). The mailing list archives are available at https://lore.kernel.org/git/, http://marc.info/?l=git and other archival sites.
Issues which are security relevant should be disclosed privately to the Git Security mailing list git-security@googlegroups.com.
The maintainer frequently sends the "What's cooking" reports that list the current status of various development topics to the mailing list. The discussion following them give a good reference for project status, development direction and remaining tasks.
The name "git" was given by Linus Torvalds when he wrote the very first version. He described the tool as "the stupid content tracker" and the name as (depending on your mood):
- random three-letter combination that is pronounceable, and not actually used by any common UNIX command. The fact that it is a mispronunciation of "get" may or may not be relevant.
- stupid. contemptible and despicable. simple. Take your pick from the dictionary of slang.
- "global information tracker": you're in a good mood, and it actually works for you. Angels sing, and a light suddenly fills the room.
- "goddamn idiotic truckload of sh*t": when it breaks