Re: [PATCH] git-archive documentation: .gitattributes must be committed

[Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>]

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

> René Scharfe <rene.scharfe@lsrfire.ath.cx> writes:
>
>> ...  I think that the current
>> behaviour makes sense because it provides a repeatable default.
>
> I wouldn't insist on changing the default again too strongly, but I think
> the --worktree-attributes option should be advertised better in the
> documentation, as that mode of operation seems to match what the users
> expect better, and I think that is how this thread started.

How about this?  Instead of stopping at saying "it is taken from the tree
and must be committed, period", we should continue giving insn to help
people who didn't do so to achieve what they want to do.

-- >8 --
Subject: archive documentation: attributes are taken from the tree by default

By default, git-archive takes attributes from the tree being archived.
People however often wonder why their attempts to affect the way how the
command archives their tree by changing .gitattributes in their work tree
fail.

Add a bit of explanatory note to tell them how to achieve what they want
to do.

Noticed-by: Francois Marier
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
---
 Documentation/git-archive.txt |    8 ++++++++
 1 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-archive.txt b/Documentation/git-archive.txt
index 799c8b6..8d3e666 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-archive.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-archive.txt
@@ -112,6 +112,14 @@ export-subst::
 	expand several placeholders when adding this file to an archive.
 	See linkgit:gitattributes[5] for details.
 
+Note that attributes are by default taken from the `.gitattributes` files
+in the tree that is being archived.  If you want to tweak the way the
+output is generated after the fact (e.g. you committed without adding an
+appropriate export-ignore in its `.gitattributes`), adjust the checked out
+`.gitattributes` file as necessary and use `--work-tree-attributes`
+option.  Alternatively you can keep necessary attributes that should apply
+while archiving any tree in your `$GIT_DIR/info/attributes` file.
+
 EXAMPLES
 --------
 git archive --format=tar --prefix=junk/ HEAD | (cd /var/tmp/ && tar xf -)::