Re: [PATCH v17 14/14] tag.c: implement '--merged' and '--no-merged' options

[John Keeping <john@keeping.me.uk>]

On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 09:10:08AM +0200, Matthieu Moy wrote:
> Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:
> 
> > John Keeping <john@keeping.me.uk> writes:
> >
> >>> +--[no-]merged [<commit>]::
> >>
> >> We prefer to write --[no-]* as:
> >>
> >> 	--option::
> >> 	--no-option::
> >>
> >> although this may be the first instance that we see this combination
> >> with an argument.
> >>
> >> I also found the "[<commit>]" syntax confusing and had to go and figure
> >> out what PARSE_OPT_LASTARG_DEFAULT does; I wonder if it's worth
> >> appending something like the following to the help for this option:
> >>
> >> 	The `commit` may be omitted if this is the final argument.
> >
> > "may be omitted" must be followed by a description of what happens
> > when omitted (i.e. "defaults to ...").
> 
> Then:
> 
> The `commit` may be omitted and defaults to HEAD if this is the final
> argument.

I find that slightly confusing, although that might just be me.  It's
slightly longer, but I would write:

	The `commit` may be omitted if this is the final argument, in
	which case it defaults to `HEAD`.

I also had a look at git-branch(1), which has similar `--merged` and
`--no-merged` options and says:

	Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the specified
	commit (HEAD if not specified).  Implies `--list`.

The two options are listed separately in that case.