Subject: Re: [PATCH] fix: include the type flag in the cli docs

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2022 11:48:58 -0800

Bagas Sanjaya <[email-masked]> writes:

> On 26/02/22 12.34, Matheus Felipe via GitGitGadget wrote:
>> From: Matheus Felipe <[email-masked]>
>> When the `git config --global --help` command is invoked,
>> the cli documentation is shown in the terminal with a small
>> error in one of the values of the Type group, which is the
>> absence of the type flag in the `--type` argument.
>> This commit fixes that.
>> 
>
> What about the commit message below?
>
> ```
> The usage help for --type option of `git config` is missing `type`
> in the argument placeholder (`<>`). Add it.
> ```

It is more concise, and at the same time points out the problem
being addressed a lot more explicitly.  Much better.

>> -	OPT_CALLBACK('t', "type", &type, "", N_("value is given this type"), option_parse_type),
>> +	OPT_CALLBACK('t', "type", &type, N_("type"), N_("value is given this type"), option_parse_type),
>
>
> The help should be `give the value the specified type`.

I am not sure if this is much of an improvement.

    $ git config --type=bool junk.flag 0
    $ git config junk.flag
    false

uses the type information to turn "0" into "false" before it writes
the value set to the variable to the file, while

    $ git config junk.flag 0
    $ git config junk.flag
    0
    $ git config --type=bool junk.flag
    false

shows that a stored value of "0" can be turned into "false" when
showing.  "Give the value the specified type" does not capture the
essense in either direction.

    Before setting or showing, convert the value to its canonical
    representation according to the given type.

is what we want to convey, but it is quote a mouthful as-is.

Saying "Assume the value is of this type" would strongly imply
"Convert ... to its canonical reporesentation", and the current
"value is given this type" may be a close enough and shorter
approximation of it.  I dunno.