All of lore.kernel.org
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
To: Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson@gmail.com>
Cc: git@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Bug report: Minor glitch in "git help" error message
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:24:46 -0700	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <xmqq5xj2clcx.fsf@gitster.g> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <CAAHpriMkqapiJuUGimn-i8SqcZmvmc=Wpk6oUr844uAkCYgMxA@mail.gmail.com> (Keith Thompson's message of "Thu, 17 Apr 2025 15:56:37 -0700")

Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson@gmail.com> writes:

> What did you do before the bug happened? (Steps to reproduce your issue)
> git help nosuchcommand
>
> What did you expect to happen? (Expected behavior)
> An error message: "No manual entry for git-nosuchcommand"
>
> What happened instead? (Actual behavior)
> An error message: "No manual entry for gitnosuchcommand"

I am of two minds.  When "git help" is asked for commands, your
suggestion does make sense, i.e.

    $ git help dog-file
    No manual entry for gitdog-file

And these two are moral equivalents.

    $ git help cat-file
    $ man git-cat-file

But "git help" can ask for things other than subcommands.
For example, these two are equivalents.

    $ git help glossary
    $ man gitglossary

Notice the lack of "-" there?

> If "nosuchcommand" were a git command, the man page would be
> readable by typing "man git-nosuchcommand".  The error message
> should reflect that.  (The error message is actually produced
> by the "man" command.)

In other words, if "nosuchguide" were a concept with guide, the man
page is readable by "man gitnosuchguide", and the error message does
reflect it.

Unlike "git foo --help", where it is clear that the user expected a
subommand "foo", when the user says "git help foo", we cannot tell
whether the user asked for documentation for a command or a concept
guide, so adding "-" there is a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Thanks for a report.



  reply	other threads:[~2025-04-18  1:24 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 5+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2025-04-17 22:56 Bug report: Minor glitch in "git help" error message Keith Thompson
2025-04-18  1:24 ` Junio C Hamano [this message]
2025-04-18  3:52   ` Keith Thompson
2025-04-18  9:16     ` Jeff King
2025-04-18 13:27       ` Junio C Hamano

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=xmqq5xj2clcx.fsf@gitster.g \
    --to=gitster@pobox.com \
    --cc=Keith.S.Thompson@gmail.com \
    --cc=git@vger.kernel.org \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.