The description which files git-config uses and how the various command line options and environment variables affect its behaviour was incomplete, outdated and confusing. Try to fix that. Signed-off-by: Frank Lichtenheld <frank@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> --- Documentation/git-config.txt | 66 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---- 1 files changed, 59 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt index 8f4149f..bd2fff7 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-config.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt @@ -75,11 +75,22 @@ OPTIONS Like --get-all, but interprets the name as a regular expression. --global:: - Use global ~/.gitconfig file rather than the repository .git/config. + For writing options: Write to global ~/.gitconfig file rather than + the repository .git/config. ++ +For reading options: Read only from global ~/.gitconfig rather than +from all available files. ++ +See also <<FILES>>. --system:: - Use system-wide $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig rather than the repository - .git/config. + For writing options: Write to system-wide $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig + rather than the repository .git/config. ++ +For reading options: Read only from system-wide $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig +rather than from all available files. ++ +See also <<FILES>>. --remove-section:: Remove the given section from the configuration file. @@ -106,18 +117,59 @@ OPTIONS by 1024, 1048576, or 1073741824 prior to output. +[[FILES]] +FILES +----- + +There are three files where git-config will search for configuration +options: + +.git/config:: + Repository specific configuration file. (The filename is + of course relative to the repository root, not the working + directory.) + +~/.gitconfig:: + User-specific configuration file. Also called "global" + configuration file. + +$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig:: + System-wide configuration file. + +If no further options are given, all reading options will read all of these +files that are available. If the global or the system-wide configuration +file are not available they will be ignored. If the repository configuration +file is not available or readable, git-config will exit with a non-zero +error code. However, in neither case will an error message be issued. + +All writing options will per default write to the repository specific +configuration file. Note that this also affects options like '--replace-all' +and '--unset'. *git-config will only ever change one file at a time*. + +You can overwrite these rules either by command line options or by environment +variables. The '--global' and the '--system' options will limit the file used +to the global or system-wide file respectively. The GIT_CONFIG environment +variable has a similar effect, but you can specify any filename you want. + +The GIT_CONFIG_LOCAL environment variable on the other hand only changes +the name used instead of the repository configuration file. The global and +the system-wide configuration files will still be read. (For writing options +this will obviously result in the same behavior as using GIT_CONFIG.) + + ENVIRONMENT ----------- GIT_CONFIG:: Take the configuration from the given file instead of .git/config. - Using the "--global" option forces this to ~/.gitconfig. + Using the "--global" option forces this to ~/.gitconfig. Using the + "--system" option forces this to $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig. GIT_CONFIG_LOCAL:: - Currently the same as $GIT_CONFIG; when Git will support global - configuration files, this will cause it to take the configuration - from the global configuration file in addition to the given file. + Take the configuration from the given file instead if .git/config. + Still read the global and the system-wide configuration files, though. +See also <<FILES>>. [[EXAMPLES]] -- 1.5.2-rc3.GIT - 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
