Subject: Re: [PATCH] doc: commit: link to git-status(1) on all format options

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 17:07:03 -0800

[email-masked] writes:

> From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <[email-masked]>
>
> `--branch` and `--long` refer to git-status(1) options but they don’t tell us
> what `short-format` and `long-format` are, respectively. And `--null`
> mentions “status” but does not link to the command.
>
> Refer to git-config(1) on `--branch` like `--short` does.
>
> `long-format` is the git-status(1) output. So we can just say that
> directly.
>
> Replace “status” with a `linkgit` on `--null`.
>
> Signed-off-by: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <[email-masked]>
> ---

This got no raction so far, but given that "commit --dry-run" and
"status" share quite a lot of the internals, referring from one to
the other often makes sense.

Will mark for 'next'.

Thanks.

>
> Notes (series):
>     § Cc
>     
>     Cc Peff based on:
>     
>     • f3f47a1e (status: add --long output format option, 2012-10-18) did not
>       • Did not link to git-config(1)
>     link to git-config(1) even though the previous
>     • 7c9f7038 (commit: support alternate status formats, 2009-09-05)
>       • This older commit did
>     
>     I was going to mention these when I was only changing `--long` but the
>     scope expanded to the other two options.
>
>  Documentation/git-commit.adoc | 10 ++++++----
>  1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-commit.adoc b/Documentation/git-commit.adoc
> index ae988a883b5..30121b3c861 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-commit.adoc
> +++ b/Documentation/git-commit.adoc
> @@ -144,24 +144,26 @@ See linkgit:git-rebase[1] for details.
>  `--short`::
>  	When doing a dry-run, give the output in the short-format. See
>  	linkgit:git-status[1] for details. Implies `--dry-run`.
>  
>  `--branch`::
> -	Show the branch and tracking info even in short-format.
> +	Show the branch and tracking info even in short-format. See
> +	linkgit:git-status[1] for details.
>  
>  `--porcelain`::
>  	When doing a dry-run, give the output in a porcelain-ready
>  	format. See linkgit:git-status[1] for details. Implies
>  	`--dry-run`.
>  
>  `--long`::
> -	When doing a dry-run, give the output in the long-format.
> -	Implies `--dry-run`.
> +	When doing a dry-run, give the output in the long-format. This
> +	is the default output of linkgit:git-status[1]. Implies
> +	`--dry-run`.
>  
>  `-z`::
>  `--null`::
> -	When showing `short` or `porcelain` status output, print the
> +	When showing `short` or `porcelain` linkgit:git-status[1] output, print the
>  	filename verbatim and terminate the entries with _NUL_, instead of _LF_.
>  	If no format is given, implies the `--porcelain` output format.
>  	Without the `-z` option, filenames with "unusual" characters are
>  	quoted as explained for the configuration variable `core.quotePath`
>  	(see linkgit:git-config[1]).