From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on dcvr.yhbt.net X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-ASN: AS31976 209.132.180.0/23 X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.9 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_00, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_HI, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_H3,RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_WL,SPF_HELO_NONE,SPF_NONE shortcircuit=no autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [209.132.180.67]) by dcvr.yhbt.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id EAB951F5A2 for ; Fri, 7 Feb 2020 11:02:26 +0000 (UTC) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1727092AbgBGLC0 convert rfc822-to-8bit (ORCPT ); Fri, 7 Feb 2020 06:02:26 -0500 Received: from claranet-outbound-smtp08.uk.clara.net ([195.8.89.41]:48518 "EHLO claranet-outbound-smtp08.uk.clara.net" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1726674AbgBGLCZ (ORCPT ); Fri, 7 Feb 2020 06:02:25 -0500 X-Greylist: delayed 1167 seconds by postgrey-1.27 at vger.kernel.org; Fri, 07 Feb 2020 06:02:25 EST Received: from 79-76-60-118.dynamic.dsl.as9105.com ([79.76.60.118]:36085 helo=PDSDELL) by relay08.mail.eu.clara.net (relay.clara.net [81.171.239.38]:10465) with esmtpa (authdaemon_login:gershenson-smith) id 1j0168-0006Nd-SO for git@vger.kernel.org (return-path ); Fri, 07 Feb 2020 10:42:57 +0000 From: To: References: In-Reply-To: Subject: Support 'help' for custom/alias commands Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2020 10:42:56 -0000 Message-ID: <005001d5dda3$5bc12510$13436f30$@pauldsmith.org.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 16.0 thread-index: AQJYcFYYt0Fq+QhLlA5BsdLSkzFOOqcKZa7g Content-Language: en-gb Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org Adding a custom comment (let’s call is ‘foolish’) is easy but then you someone types ‘git help foolish’, they get some strange message about help not being found. There are two problems with this: 1. It’s hard for users to create good documentation in the same format as the core git product 2. The git ‘help’ processing currently looks in one, and one place only and that location is often ‘locked down’ meaning that mere users cannot add their custom help to this directory. I propose that #1 be solved by creating a command/tool and documentation that explains how to mimic the input to the standard Git help files and have them processed to create the HTML/HTML5/MAN help normally produced.  Ideally it would do exactly the same processing as the core tools (perhaps even having their docs built using this tool now) and use exactly the same template files that core git uses. I propose that #2 be solved by allowing a new set of ‘git config’ fields. The layout should be sensible and should users to be able to set a git variable which then means that the core git help finds their help text. Possible we want to force /docs/man, or html, or html5 And the git config variable be something like “help.custom.foolish=/docs” Paul DS. P.S. I have a perfectly respectable e-mail address at paul_d_smith@hotmail.com which I have used for years - why won't you accept e-mails from it?