From: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
To: Yann Dirson <dirson@bertin.fr>
Cc: "Santi Béjar" <santi@agolina.net>, git@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [RFC/PATCH 5/4] Documentation: flesh out diff --no-index description
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:07:18 -0500 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20101011160718.GF25842@burratino> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20101011160224.GA25842@burratino>
Explain what diff --no-index is used for in more detail.
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
---
Documentation/git-diff.txt | 21 +++++++++++++++++----
1 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/git-diff.txt b/Documentation/git-diff.txt
index dd1fb32..6700e8c 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-diff.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-diff.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ tree and the index file, or the index file and the working tree.
+
If exactly two paths are given and at least one points outside
the current repository, 'git diff' will compare the two files /
-directories. This behavior can be forced by --no-index.
+directories (see --no-index below).
'git diff' [--options] --cached [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]::
@@ -62,11 +62,24 @@ directories. This behavior can be forced by --no-index.
"git diff $(git-merge-base A B) B". You can omit any one
of <commit>, which has the same effect as using HEAD instead.
+'git diff' [--options] --no-index [--] <path> <path>::
+
+ In this form, 'git diff' will compare a pair of files or
+ directories that are not necessarily being managed by git.
+ The tracked content of files in the index and the object
+ database are ignored.
++
+In other words, this form allows 'git diff' to be used as a
+traditional 'diff' command (plus the familiar extras like --check,
+color, pagination, automatic use of -r, --stat/--name-status,
+--pickaxe, --binary, copy/rename detection, -Oorderfile, and
+--patience).
+
Just in case if you are doing something exotic, it should be
noted that all of the <commit> in the above description, except
-in the last two forms that use ".." notations, can be any
-<tree>. The third form ('git diff <commit> <commit>') can also
-be used to compare two <blob> objects.
+in the two forms that use ".." notations, can be any <tree>.
+The third form ('git diff <commit> <commit>') can also be used
+to compare two <blob> objects.
For a more complete list of ways to spell <commit>, see
"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
--
1.7.2.3
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2010-10-11 16:10 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 15+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2010-10-11 13:03 Undocumented git-diff syntax Yann Dirson
2010-10-11 13:59 ` Santi Béjar
2010-10-11 14:17 ` Yann Dirson
2010-10-11 14:52 ` Santi Béjar
2010-10-11 16:02 ` [PATCH 0/4] " Jonathan Nieder
2010-10-11 16:03 ` [PATCH 1/5] Documentation: gitrevisions is in section 7 Jonathan Nieder
2010-10-11 20:49 ` Sverre Rabbelier
2010-10-11 16:04 ` [PATCH 2/4] Documentation: diff can compare blobs Jonathan Nieder
2010-10-11 16:05 ` [PATCH 3/4] Documentation: expand 'git diff' SEE ALSO section Jonathan Nieder
2010-10-11 16:06 ` [PATCH 4/4] Documentation: update "git diff --no-index" description Jonathan Nieder
2010-10-11 16:07 ` Jonathan Nieder [this message]
2010-10-13 22:40 ` [RFC/PATCH 5/4] Documentation: flesh out diff --no-index description Junio C Hamano
2010-10-11 18:52 ` [PATCH 0/4] Re: Undocumented git-diff syntax Yann Dirson
2010-10-11 20:56 ` Sverre Rabbelier
2010-10-11 16:57 ` Jakub Narebski
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