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From: "Robert P. J. Day" <rpjday@crashcourse.ca>
To: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Cc: Todd Zullinger <tmz@pobox.com>, Git Mailing list <git@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: "git rm" seems to do recursive removal even without "-r"
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2017 15:43:43 -0400 (EDT)	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.21.1710071541430.15964@localhost.localdomain> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20171007193805.a2mwzkweonb6ymdk@sigill.intra.peff.net>

On Sat, 7 Oct 2017, Jeff King wrote:

> On Sat, Oct 07, 2017 at 03:32:24PM -0400, Robert P. J. Day wrote:
>
> > > Nothing, because there is nothing to recurse in the pathspecs you've
> > > given.
> > >
> > > Try:
> > >
> > >   $ git rm drivers
> > >   fatal: not removing 'drivers' recursively without -r
> > >
> > > versus
> > >
> > >   $ git rm -r drivers
> > >   [...removes everything under drivers/...]
> >
> >   that is not what the man page is saying ... it refers to a "leading"
> > directory name, not simply a directory name. if it should say simply
> > "when a directory name is given", then it should be changed to say
> > that.
>
> It's the leading directory of the files that will be removed.
>
> An earlier part of the manpage (under <file>) also says:
>
>   A leading directory name (e.g. dir to remove dir/file1 and dir/file2)
>   can be given to remove all files in the directory, and recursively all
>   sub-directories, but this requires the -r option to be explicitly
>   given.
>
> which perhaps makes it more clear. Later in "-r", we say:
>
>    -r
>            Allow recursive removal when a leading directory name is given.
>
> which I guess is the part you're reading.  I think it would be equally
> correct to say "leading directory" or just "directory" there.
>
> Though really, you could give many such directory names, or even match
> them with a glob. So a more accurate description might be something
> like:
>
>   -r
> 	Recursively remove the contents of any directories that match
> 	`<file>`.
>
> or something.

  it's been a long week, so take this in the spirit in which it is
intended ... i think the "git rm" command and its man page should be
printed out, run through a paper shredder, then set on fire. i can't
remember the last time i saw such a thoroughly badly-designed,
badly-documented and non-intuitive utility.

  i'm going to go watch football now and try to forget this horror.

rday

-- 

========================================================================
Robert P. J. Day                                 Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
                        http://crashcourse.ca

Twitter:                                       http://twitter.com/rpjday
LinkedIn:                               http://ca.linkedin.com/in/rpjday
========================================================================

  reply	other threads:[~2017-10-07 19:43 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 29+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2017-10-07 18:39 "git rm" seems to do recursive removal even without "-r" Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-07 19:04 ` Todd Zullinger
2017-10-07 19:12   ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-07 19:29     ` Jeff King
2017-10-07 19:32       ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-07 19:38         ` Jeff King
2017-10-07 19:43           ` Robert P. J. Day [this message]
2017-10-07 21:05             ` Theodore Ts'o
2017-10-07 21:40               ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-07 21:44             ` Paul Smith
2017-10-07 21:55               ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-08  4:20                 ` Junio C Hamano
2017-10-08  9:07                   ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-08 11:37                     ` Kevin Daudt
2017-10-08 11:56                   ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-08 12:23                     ` Martin Ågren
2017-10-08 12:39                     ` René Scharfe
2017-10-08 12:45                       ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-10 11:52                     ` Heiko Voigt
2017-10-11  8:31                       ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-08 14:32                 ` Paul Smith
2017-10-08 18:40                   ` Theodore Ts'o
2017-10-08 19:44                     ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-08 20:42                       ` Theodore Ts'o
2017-10-09 17:52                         ` Jeff King
2017-10-10  8:36                           ` Robert P. J. Day
2017-10-10  8:58                             ` Junio C Hamano
2017-10-10 12:19                             ` Paul Smith
2017-10-10 19:44                               ` Robert P. J. Day

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