Re: [PATCH 4/5] Add --remote option to send-pack

[Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>]

Daniel Barkalow <barkalow@iabervon.org> writes:

> Indeed. Is there documentation on all the possibilities for refspecs 
> somewhere all together? I could only find it for particular programs, and 
> didn't see a no-colon option permitted anywhere.

Documentation/pull-fetch-param.txt which is included by various
manpages would be the best place to start.

    <refspec>::
            The canonical format of a <refspec> parameter is
            `+?<src>:<dst>`; that is, an optional plus `+`, followed
            by the source ref, followed by a colon `:`, followed by
            the destination ref.
    +
    The remote ref that matches <src>
    is fetched, and if <dst> is not empty string, the local
    ref that matches it is fast forwarded using <src>.
    Again, if the optional plus `+` is used, the local ref
    is updated even if it does not result in a fast forward
    update.

Hmph.  So <dst> could be empty, and in such a case there is no
tracking.  But this does not say missing colon is allowed (but
that was intentionally left out as we clarify it later).  Let's
read on.  After a few [Notes], we find this.

    Some short-cut notations are also supported.
    +
    * `tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`; 
      it requests fetching everything up to the given tag.
    * A parameter <ref> without a colon is equivalent to
      <ref>: when pulling/fetching, so it merges <ref> into the current
      branch without storing the remote branch anywhere locally

Ahh, so a refspec that does not have a colon, and ends with a
colon (hence an empty <dst>) are equivalent, and does not result
in remote tracking.