[PATCH] fast-export: standardize usage string and SYNOPSIS

[PATCH] fast-export: standardize usage string and SYNOPSIS

[Christian Couder]

The output of `git fast-export -h` currently starts with:

  usage: git fast-export [<rev-list-opts>]

while the SYNOPSIS section in this command's documentation shows:

  'git fast-export' [<options>] | 'git fast-import'

Let's make both of these consistent with each other and with other Git
commands by describing the arguments with:

  [<options>] [<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]

This takes into account the following:

  - `git fast-export` accepts both rev-list arguments and a number of
    genuine options of its own (--[no-]progress, --[no-]signed-tags,
    --[no-]signed-commits, etc).

  - `git fast-export` was the only command using `[<rev-list-opts>]`
    while many other commands describe their revision arguments as
    `[<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]`.

  - In the DESCRIPTION section of the documentation, it's already
    mentioned several times that the output should eventually be fed to
    `git fast-import`.

This also enables us to remove fast-export from
"t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches".

Signed-off-by: Christian Couder <chriscool@tuxfamily.org>
---

CI tests passed:

https://github.com/chriscool/git/actions/runs/29245342050

 Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc | 2 +-
 builtin/fast-export.c              | 2 +-
 t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches       | 1 -
 3 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc b/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
index 297b57bb2e..719aeca244 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-fast-export - Git data exporter
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git fast-export' [<options>] | 'git fast-import'
+'git fast-export' [<options>] [<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
diff --git a/builtin/fast-export.c b/builtin/fast-export.c
index 0be43104dc..629d7c591a 100644
--- a/builtin/fast-export.c
+++ b/builtin/fast-export.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 #include "gpg-interface.h"
 
 static const char *const fast_export_usage[] = {
-	N_("git fast-export [<rev-list-opts>]"),
+	N_("git fast-export [<options>] [<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]"),
 	NULL
 };
 
diff --git a/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches b/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches
index e8d6c13ccd..c4a55ff4e3 100644
--- a/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches
+++ b/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ column
 credential
 credential-cache
 credential-store
-fast-export
 fast-import
 fetch-pack
 fmt-merge-msg
-- 
2.55.0.124.gac3b7a3d2d

Re: [PATCH] fast-export: standardize usage string and SYNOPSIS

[Junio C Hamano]

Christian Couder <christian.couder@gmail.com> writes:

> The output of `git fast-export -h` currently starts with:
> ...
> This also enables us to remove fast-export from
> "t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches".

Improving consistency and eliminating special cases are both
positive steps forward.  Nice work.

> diff --git a/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc b/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
> index 297b57bb2e..719aeca244 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
> +++ b/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
> @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-fast-export - Git data exporter
>  SYNOPSIS
>  --------
>  [verse]
> -'git fast-export' [<options>] | 'git fast-import'

While this was well-intentioned (demonstrating a typical usage
pattern to show readers that the command's output is meant to be
consumed by 'fast-import'), it is highly unusual for a synopsis.
Examples of this nature are better suited for the body of the manual
pages.

> +'git fast-export' [<options>] [<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]

This updated version is much more consistent with other manual
pages.

Nice.  Will queue.  Thanks.

Re: [PATCH] fast-export: standardize usage string and SYNOPSIS

[Patrick Steinhardt]

On Mon, Jul 13, 2026 at 02:41:53PM +0200, Christian Couder wrote:
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc b/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
> index 297b57bb2e..719aeca244 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
> +++ b/Documentation/git-fast-export.adoc
> @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-fast-export - Git data exporter
>  SYNOPSIS
>  --------
>  [verse]
> -'git fast-export' [<options>] | 'git fast-import'
> +'git fast-export' [<options>] [<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]
>  
>  DESCRIPTION
>  -----------

Makes sense, as it is more consistent with all the other commands that
we have. I don't recall any other commands that use "|".

> diff --git a/builtin/fast-export.c b/builtin/fast-export.c
> index 0be43104dc..629d7c591a 100644
> --- a/builtin/fast-export.c
> +++ b/builtin/fast-export.c
> @@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
>  #include "gpg-interface.h"
>  
>  static const char *const fast_export_usage[] = {
> -	N_("git fast-export [<rev-list-opts>]"),
> +	N_("git fast-export [<options>] [<revision-range>] [[--] <path>...]"),
>  	NULL
>  };
>  

This is being adapted to match.

> diff --git a/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches b/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches
> index e8d6c13ccd..c4a55ff4e3 100644
> --- a/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches
> +++ b/t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches
> @@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ column
>  credential
>  credential-cache
>  credential-store
> -fast-export
>  fast-import
>  fetch-pack
>  fmt-merge-msg

And as both match now we can also update t0450. Nice!

Patrick