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88e7fdf2 JH |
1 | gitattributes(5) |
2 | ================ | |
3 | ||
4 | NAME | |
5 | ---- | |
6 | gitattributes - defining attributes per path | |
7 | ||
8 | SYNOPSIS | |
9 | -------- | |
2d76548b | 10 | $GIT_DIR/info/attributes, gitattributes |
88e7fdf2 JH |
11 | |
12 | ||
13 | DESCRIPTION | |
14 | ----------- | |
15 | ||
16 | A `gitattributes` file is a simple text file that gives | |
17 | `attributes` to pathnames. | |
18 | ||
19 | Each line in `gitattributes` file is of form: | |
20 | ||
21 | glob attr1 attr2 ... | |
22 | ||
23 | That is, a glob pattern followed by an attributes list, | |
24 | separated by whitespaces. When the glob pattern matches the | |
25 | path in question, the attributes listed on the line are given to | |
26 | the path. | |
27 | ||
28 | Each attribute can be in one of these states for a given path: | |
29 | ||
30 | Set:: | |
31 | ||
32 | The path has the attribute with special value "true"; | |
33 | this is specified by listing only the name of the | |
34 | attribute in the attribute list. | |
35 | ||
36 | Unset:: | |
37 | ||
38 | The path has the attribute with special value "false"; | |
39 | this is specified by listing the name of the attribute | |
40 | prefixed with a dash `-` in the attribute list. | |
41 | ||
42 | Set to a value:: | |
43 | ||
44 | The path has the attribute with specified string value; | |
45 | this is specified by listing the name of the attribute | |
46 | followed by an equal sign `=` and its value in the | |
47 | attribute list. | |
48 | ||
49 | Unspecified:: | |
50 | ||
51 | No glob pattern matches the path, and nothing says if | |
b9d14ffb JH |
52 | the path has or does not have the attribute, the |
53 | attribute for the path is said to be Unspecified. | |
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54 | |
55 | When more than one glob pattern matches the path, a later line | |
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56 | overrides an earlier line. This overriding is done per |
57 | attribute. | |
88e7fdf2 JH |
58 | |
59 | When deciding what attributes are assigned to a path, git | |
60 | consults `$GIT_DIR/info/attributes` file (which has the highest | |
61 | precedence), `.gitattributes` file in the same directory as the | |
62 | path in question, and its parent directories (the further the | |
63 | directory that contains `.gitattributes` is from the path in | |
64 | question, the lower its precedence). | |
65 | ||
66 | Sometimes you would need to override an setting of an attribute | |
67 | for a path to `unspecified` state. This can be done by listing | |
68 | the name of the attribute prefixed with an exclamation point `!`. | |
69 | ||
70 | ||
71 | EFFECTS | |
72 | ------- | |
73 | ||
74 | Certain operations by git can be influenced by assigning | |
75 | particular attributes to a path. Currently, three operations | |
76 | are attributes-aware. | |
77 | ||
78 | Checking-out and checking-in | |
79 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
80 | ||
3fed15f5 | 81 | These attributes affect how the contents stored in the |
88e7fdf2 | 82 | repository are copied to the working tree files when commands |
3fed15f5 | 83 | such as `git checkout` and `git merge` run. They also affect how |
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84 | git stores the contents you prepare in the working tree in the |
85 | repository upon `git add` and `git commit`. | |
86 | ||
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87 | `crlf` |
88 | ^^^^^^ | |
89 | ||
90 | This attribute controls the line-ending convention. | |
91 | ||
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92 | Set:: |
93 | ||
94 | Setting the `crlf` attribute on a path is meant to mark | |
95 | the path as a "text" file. 'core.autocrlf' conversion | |
96 | takes place without guessing the content type by | |
97 | inspection. | |
98 | ||
99 | Unset:: | |
100 | ||
101 | Unsetting the `crlf` attribute on a path is meant to | |
102 | mark the path as a "binary" file. The path never goes | |
103 | through line endings conversion upon checkin/checkout. | |
104 | ||
105 | Unspecified:: | |
106 | ||
107 | Unspecified `crlf` attribute tells git to apply the | |
108 | `core.autocrlf` conversion when the file content looks | |
109 | like text. | |
110 | ||
111 | Set to string value "input":: | |
112 | ||
113 | This is similar to setting the attribute to `true`, but | |
114 | also forces git to act as if `core.autocrlf` is set to | |
115 | `input` for the path. | |
116 | ||
117 | Any other value set to `crlf` attribute is ignored and git acts | |
118 | as if the attribute is left unspecified. | |
119 | ||
120 | ||
121 | The `core.autocrlf` conversion | |
122 | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | |
123 | ||
124 | If the configuration variable `core.autocrlf` is false, no | |
125 | conversion is done. | |
126 | ||
127 | When `core.autocrlf` is true, it means that the platform wants | |
128 | CRLF line endings for files in the working tree, and you want to | |
129 | convert them back to the normal LF line endings when checking | |
130 | in to the repository. | |
131 | ||
132 | When `core.autocrlf` is set to "input", line endings are | |
133 | converted to LF upon checkin, but there is no conversion done | |
134 | upon checkout. | |
135 | ||
136 | ||
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137 | `ident` |
138 | ^^^^^^^ | |
139 | ||
140 | When the attribute `ident` is set to a path, git replaces | |
141 | `$ident$` in the blob object with `$ident:`, followed by | |
142 | 40-character hexadecimal blob object name, followed by a dollar | |
143 | sign `$` upon checkout. Any byte sequence that begins with | |
144 | `$ident:` and ends with `$` in the worktree file is replaced | |
145 | with `$ident$` upon check-in. | |
146 | ||
147 | ||
148 | Interaction between checkin/checkout attributes | |
149 | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | |
150 | ||
151 | In the check-in codepath, the worktree file is first converted | |
152 | with `ident` (if specified), and then with `crlf` (again, if | |
153 | specified and applicable). | |
154 | ||
155 | In the check-out codepath, the blob content is first converted | |
156 | with `crlf`, and then `ident`. | |
157 | ||
158 | ||
aa4ed402 JH |
159 | `filter` |
160 | ^^^^^^^^ | |
161 | ||
162 | A `filter` attribute can be set to a string value. This names | |
163 | filter driver specified in the configuration. | |
164 | ||
165 | A filter driver consists of `clean` command and `smudge` | |
166 | command, either of which can be left unspecified. Upon | |
167 | checkout, when `smudge` command is specified, the command is fed | |
168 | the blob object from its standard input, and its standard output | |
169 | is used to update the worktree file. Similarly, `clean` command | |
170 | is used to convert the contents of worktree file upon checkin. | |
171 | ||
172 | Missing filter driver definition in the config is not an error | |
173 | but makes the filter a no-op passthru. | |
174 | ||
175 | The content filtering is done to massage the content into a | |
176 | shape that is more convenient for the platform, filesystem, and | |
177 | the user to use. The keyword here is "more convenient" and not | |
178 | "turning something unusable into usable". In other words, it is | |
179 | "hanging yourself because we gave you a long rope" if your | |
180 | project uses filtering mechanism in such a way that it makes | |
181 | your project unusable unless the checkout is done with a | |
182 | specific filter in effect. | |
183 | ||
184 | ||
185 | Interaction between checkin/checkout attributes | |
186 | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | |
187 | ||
188 | In the check-in codepath, the worktree file is first converted | |
189 | with `filter` driver (if specified and corresponding driver | |
190 | defined), then the result is processed with `ident` (if | |
191 | specified), and then finally with `crlf` (again, if specified | |
192 | and applicable). | |
193 | ||
194 | In the check-out codepath, the blob content is first converted | |
195 | with `crlf`, and then `ident` and fed to `filter`. | |
196 | ||
197 | ||
88e7fdf2 JH |
198 | Generating diff text |
199 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
200 | ||
201 | The attribute `diff` affects if `git diff` generates textual | |
202 | patch for the path or just says `Binary files differ`. | |
203 | ||
204 | Set:: | |
205 | ||
206 | A path to which the `diff` attribute is set is treated | |
207 | as text, even when they contain byte values that | |
208 | normally never appear in text files, such as NUL. | |
209 | ||
210 | Unset:: | |
211 | ||
212 | A path to which the `diff` attribute is unset will | |
213 | generate `Binary files differ`. | |
214 | ||
215 | Unspecified:: | |
216 | ||
217 | A path to which the `diff` attribute is unspecified | |
218 | first gets its contents inspected, and if it looks like | |
219 | text, it is treated as text. Otherwise it would | |
220 | generate `Binary files differ`. | |
221 | ||
2cc3167c JH |
222 | String:: |
223 | ||
224 | Diff is shown using the specified custom diff driver. | |
225 | The driver program is given its input using the same | |
226 | calling convention as used for GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF | |
227 | program. | |
228 | ||
229 | ||
230 | Defining a custom diff driver | |
231 | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | |
232 | ||
233 | The definition of a diff driver is done in `gitconfig`, not | |
234 | `gitattributes` file, so strictly speaking this manual page is a | |
235 | wrong place to talk about it. However... | |
236 | ||
237 | To define a custom diff driver `jcdiff`, add a section to your | |
238 | `$GIT_DIR/config` file (or `$HOME/.gitconfig` file) like this: | |
239 | ||
240 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
241 | [diff "jcdiff"] | |
242 | command = j-c-diff | |
243 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
244 | ||
245 | When git needs to show you a diff for the path with `diff` | |
246 | attribute set to `jcdiff`, it calls the command you specified | |
247 | with the above configuration, i.e. `j-c-diff`, with 7 | |
248 | parameters, just like `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` program is called. | |
249 | See gitlink:git[7] for details. | |
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250 | |
251 | ||
252 | Performing a three-way merge | |
253 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
254 | ||
255 | The attribute `merge` affects how three versions of a file is | |
256 | merged when a file-level merge is necessary during `git merge`, | |
257 | and other programs such as `git revert` and `git cherry-pick`. | |
258 | ||
259 | Set:: | |
260 | ||
261 | Built-in 3-way merge driver is used to merge the | |
262 | contents in a way similar to `merge` command of `RCS` | |
263 | suite. This is suitable for ordinary text files. | |
264 | ||
265 | Unset:: | |
266 | ||
267 | Take the version from the current branch as the | |
268 | tentative merge result, and declare that the merge has | |
269 | conflicts. This is suitable for binary files that does | |
270 | not have a well-defined merge semantics. | |
271 | ||
272 | Unspecified:: | |
273 | ||
274 | By default, this uses the same built-in 3-way merge | |
275 | driver as is the case the `merge` attribute is set. | |
276 | However, `merge.default` configuration variable can name | |
277 | different merge driver to be used for paths to which the | |
278 | `merge` attribute is unspecified. | |
279 | ||
2cc3167c | 280 | String:: |
88e7fdf2 JH |
281 | |
282 | 3-way merge is performed using the specified custom | |
283 | merge driver. The built-in 3-way merge driver can be | |
284 | explicitly specified by asking for "text" driver; the | |
285 | built-in "take the current branch" driver can be | |
b9d14ffb | 286 | requested with "binary". |
88e7fdf2 JH |
287 | |
288 | ||
289 | Defining a custom merge driver | |
290 | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | |
291 | ||
292 | The definition of a merge driver is done in `gitconfig` not | |
293 | `gitattributes` file, so strictly speaking this manual page is a | |
294 | wrong place to talk about it. However... | |
295 | ||
296 | To define a custom merge driver `filfre`, add a section to your | |
297 | `$GIT_DIR/config` file (or `$HOME/.gitconfig` file) like this: | |
298 | ||
299 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
300 | [merge "filfre"] | |
301 | name = feel-free merge driver | |
302 | driver = filfre %O %A %B | |
303 | recursive = binary | |
304 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
305 | ||
306 | The `merge.*.name` variable gives the driver a human-readable | |
307 | name. | |
308 | ||
309 | The `merge.*.driver` variable's value is used to construct a | |
310 | command to run to merge ancestor's version (`%O`), current | |
311 | version (`%A`) and the other branches' version (`%B`). These | |
312 | three tokens are replaced with the names of temporary files that | |
313 | hold the contents of these versions when the command line is | |
314 | built. | |
315 | ||
316 | The merge driver is expected to leave the result of the merge in | |
317 | the file named with `%A` by overwriting it, and exit with zero | |
318 | status if it managed to merge them cleanly, or non-zero if there | |
319 | were conflicts. | |
320 | ||
321 | The `merge.*.recursive` variable specifies what other merge | |
322 | driver to use when the merge driver is called for an internal | |
323 | merge between common ancestors, when there are more than one. | |
324 | When left unspecified, the driver itself is used for both | |
325 | internal merge and the final merge. | |
326 | ||
327 | ||
328 | EXAMPLE | |
329 | ------- | |
330 | ||
331 | If you have these three `gitattributes` file: | |
332 | ||
333 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
334 | (in $GIT_DIR/info/attributes) | |
335 | ||
336 | a* foo !bar -baz | |
337 | ||
338 | (in .gitattributes) | |
339 | abc foo bar baz | |
340 | ||
341 | (in t/.gitattributes) | |
342 | ab* merge=filfre | |
343 | abc -foo -bar | |
344 | *.c frotz | |
345 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
346 | ||
347 | the attributes given to path `t/abc` are computed as follows: | |
348 | ||
349 | 1. By examining `t/.gitattributes` (which is in the same | |
350 | diretory as the path in question), git finds that the first | |
351 | line matches. `merge` attribute is set. It also finds that | |
352 | the second line matches, and attributes `foo` and `bar` | |
353 | are unset. | |
354 | ||
355 | 2. Then it examines `.gitattributes` (which is in the parent | |
356 | directory), and finds that the first line matches, but | |
357 | `t/.gitattributes` file already decided how `merge`, `foo` | |
358 | and `bar` attributes should be given to this path, so it | |
359 | leaves `foo` and `bar` unset. Attribute `baz` is set. | |
360 | ||
361 | 3. Finally it examines `$GIT_DIR/info/gitattributes`. This file | |
362 | is used to override the in-tree settings. The first line is | |
363 | a match, and `foo` is set, `bar` is reverted to unspecified | |
364 | state, and `baz` is unset. | |
365 | ||
366 | As the result, the attributes assignement to `t/abc` becomes: | |
367 | ||
368 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
369 | foo set to true | |
370 | bar unspecified | |
371 | baz set to false | |
372 | merge set to string value "filfre" | |
373 | frotz unspecified | |
374 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
375 | ||
376 | ||
377 | GIT | |
378 | --- | |
379 | Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite |