It is possible to specify a specific file within a tree-ish symbolically. For example you can find the contents of a specific file in a specific commit as below: git cat-file -p v1.2.4:git-prune.sh Document this syntax in the Symbolic Identifiers section of the main git documentation and reference it from git-cat-file's documentation. Signed-off-by: Andy Whitcroft <apw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> --- diff --git a/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt b/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt index 5e9cbf8..9f2138d 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt @@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ or '-s' is used to find the object size. OPTIONS ------- <object>:: - The sha1 identifier of the object. + The sha1 identifier of the object or a symbolic object + reference. See the Symbolic Identifiers section of the + main git manual page. -t:: Instead of the content, show the object type identified by @@ -58,6 +60,18 @@ Otherwise the raw (though uncompressed) be returned. +EXAMPLES +-------- +git cat-file -p c5a5d29aaacf753b70e715169cbb7f74f0193e4a:: + Pretty print the object directly using an sha1, perhaps + from a git ls-tree output. + +git cat-file -p v1.2.4:git-prune.sh:: + Output the file git-prune.sh from the branch or tag v1.2.4. + Note that where the name is ambigious a heads/ or tags/ + prefix may be used to disambiguate the name. + + Author ------ Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@xxxxxxxx> diff --git a/Documentation/git.txt b/Documentation/git.txt index 7074e32..e9f99e2 100644 --- a/Documentation/git.txt +++ b/Documentation/git.txt @@ -565,6 +565,13 @@ HEAD:: a valid head 'name' (i.e. the contents of `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/<head>`). +Some commands will also accept the following extended syntax: + +<tree-ish>:<file>:: + indicating a specific blob for that file within the tree + object specified, which may also be symbolic. For example + 'v1.2.4:git-prune.sh'. + File/Directory Structure ------------------------ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html