"Kristoffer Haugsbakk" <kristofferhaugsbakk@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes: >> + if (is_dot_or_dotdot(e->name->str_dat)) >> + die("path %s contains invalid component", p); > > Nit: single-quoting the path seems more common: > > $ git grep "\"path '%s'" ':!po/' | wc -l > 17 > $ git grep "\"path %s" ':!po/' | wc -l > 4 Ah, I missed that one. Thanks for catching. We probably should write it down. --- >8 --- [PATCH] CodingGuidelines: a handful of error message guidelines It is more efficient to have something in the coding guidelines document to point at, when we want to review and comment on a new message in the codebase to make sure it "fits" in the set of existing messages. Let's write down established best practice we are aware of. Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@xxxxxxxxx> --- * I am writing what I think is the established practice from memory; clarifications, corrections, and additions are all welcome. Documentation/CodingGuidelines | 12 +++++++++--- 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git c/Documentation/CodingGuidelines w/Documentation/CodingGuidelines index 87904791cb..0444391983 100644 --- c/Documentation/CodingGuidelines +++ w/Documentation/CodingGuidelines @@ -703,16 +703,22 @@ Program Output Error Messages - - Do not end error messages with a full stop. + - Do not end a single-sentence error message with a full stop. - Do not capitalize the first word, only because it is the first word - in the message ("unable to open %s", not "Unable to open %s"). But + in the message ("unable to open '%s'", not "Unable to open '%s'"). But "SHA-3 not supported" is fine, because the reason the first word is capitalized is not because it is at the beginning of the sentence, but because the word would be spelled in capital letters even when it appeared in the middle of the sentence. - - Say what the error is first ("cannot open %s", not "%s: cannot open") + - Say what the error is first ("cannot open '%s'", not "%s: cannot open"). + + - Enclose the subject of an error inside a pair of single quotes, + e.g. `die(_("unable to open '%s'"), path)`. + + - Unless there is a compelling reason not to, error messages should + be marked for `_("translation")`. Externally Visible Names