Subject: [PATCH v3 08/13] config: format paths gently

From: "Derrick Stolee via GitGitGadget" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:26:50 +0000

From: Derrick Stolee <[email-masked]>

Move the logic for formatting path config values into a helper method
and use gentle parsing when needed.

We need to be careful about how to handle the ':(optional)' macro, which
as tested in t1311-config-optional.sh must allow for ignoring a missing
path when other multiple values exist, but cause 'git config get' to
fail if it is the only possible value and thus no result is output.

In the case of our list, we need to omit those values silently. This
necessitates the use of the 'gently' parameter here.

Signed-off-by: Derrick Stolee <[email-masked]>
---
 builtin/config.c  | 32 ++++++++++++++++++++++----------
 t/t1300-config.sh |  3 +--
 2 files changed, 23 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/builtin/config.c b/builtin/config.c
index 79c139c5b0..2828b6dcf1 100644
--- a/builtin/config.c
+++ b/builtin/config.c
@@ -314,6 +314,25 @@ static int format_config_bool_or_str(struct strbuf *buf,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int format_config_path(struct strbuf *buf,
+			      const char *key_,
+			      const char *value_,
+			      int gently)
+{
+	char *v;
+
+	if (git_config_pathname(&v, key_, value_) < 0)
+		return -1;
+
+	if (v)
+		strbuf_addstr(buf, v);
+	else
+		return gently ? -1 : 1; /* :(optional)no-such-file */
+
+	free(v);
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /*
  * Format the configuration key-value pair (`key_`, `value_`) and
  * append it into strbuf `buf`.  Returns a negative value on failure,
@@ -347,16 +366,9 @@ static int format_config(const struct config_display_options *opts,
 			res = format_config_bool_or_int(buf, key_, value_, kvi, gently);
 		else if (opts->type == TYPE_BOOL_OR_STR)
 			res = format_config_bool_or_str(buf, value_);
-		else if (opts->type == TYPE_PATH) {
-			char *v;
-			if (git_config_pathname(&v, key_, value_) < 0)
-				return -1;
-			if (v)
-				strbuf_addstr(buf, v);
-			else
-				return 1; /* :(optional)no-such-file */
-			free((char *)v);
-		} else if (opts->type == TYPE_EXPIRY_DATE) {
+		else if (opts->type == TYPE_PATH)
+			res = format_config_path(buf, key_, value_, gently);
+		else if (opts->type == TYPE_EXPIRY_DATE) {
 			timestamp_t t;
 			if (git_config_expiry_date(&t, key_, value_) < 0)
 				return -1;
diff --git a/t/t1300-config.sh b/t/t1300-config.sh
index 1fc8e788ee..48d9c554d8 100755
--- a/t/t1300-config.sh
+++ b/t/t1300-config.sh
@@ -2545,7 +2545,6 @@ test_expect_success 'list --type=bool-or-int shows only canonicalizable values'
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'list --type=path shows only canonicalizable path values' '
-	# TODO: handling of missing path is incorrect here.
 	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
 	section.foo=True
 	section.number=10
@@ -2554,7 +2553,7 @@ test_expect_success 'list --type=path shows only canonicalizable path values' '
 	section.red=red
 	section.blue=Blue
 	section.date=Fri Jun 4 15:46:55 2010
-	section.missing=section.exists=expect
+	section.exists=expect
 	EOF
 
 	git config ${mode_prefix}list --type=path >actual 2>err &&
-- 
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