SYNOPSIS
--------
-$GIT_DIR/info/attributes, gitattributes
+$GIT_DIR/info/attributes, .gitattributes
DESCRIPTION
When deciding what attributes are assigned to a path, git
consults `$GIT_DIR/info/attributes` file (which has the highest
precedence), `.gitattributes` file in the same directory as the
-path in question, and its parent directories (the further the
-directory that contains `.gitattributes` is from the path in
-question, the lower its precedence).
+path in question, and its parent directories up to the toplevel of the
+work tree (the further the directory that contains `.gitattributes`
+is from the path in question, the lower its precedence).
+
+If you wish to affect only a single repository (i.e., to assign
+attributes to files that are particular to one user's workflow), then
+attributes should be placed in the `$GIT_DIR/info/attributes` file.
+Attributes which should be version-controlled and distributed to other
+repositories (i.e., attributes of interest to all users) should go into
+`.gitattributes` files.
Sometimes you would need to override an setting of an attribute
for a path to `unspecified` state. This can be done by listing
These attributes affect how the contents stored in the
repository are copied to the working tree files when commands
-such as `git checkout` and `git merge` run. They also affect how
+such as 'git-checkout' and 'git-merge' run. They also affect how
git stores the contents you prepare in the working tree in the
-repository upon `git add` and `git commit`.
+repository upon 'git-add' and 'git-commit'.
`crlf`
^^^^^^
Unset::
- Unsetting the `crlf` attribute on a path is meant to
- mark the path as a "binary" file. The path never goes
- through line endings conversion upon checkin/checkout.
+ Unsetting the `crlf` attribute on a path tells git not to
+ attempt any end-of-line conversion upon checkin or checkout.
Unspecified::
converted to LF upon checkin, but there is no conversion done
upon checkout.
+If `core.safecrlf` is set to "true" or "warn", git verifies if
+the conversion is reversible for the current setting of
+`core.autocrlf`. For "true", git rejects irreversible
+conversions; for "warn", git only prints a warning but accepts
+an irreversible conversion. The safety triggers to prevent such
+a conversion done to the files in the work tree, but there are a
+few exceptions. Even though...
+
+- 'git-add' itself does not touch the files in the work tree, the
+ next checkout would, so the safety triggers;
+
+- 'git-apply' to update a text file with a patch does touch the files
+ in the work tree, but the operation is about text files and CRLF
+ conversion is about fixing the line ending inconsistencies, so the
+ safety does not trigger;
+
+- 'git-diff' itself does not touch the files in the work tree, it is
+ often run to inspect the changes you intend to next 'git-add'. To
+ catch potential problems early, safety triggers.
+
`ident`
^^^^^^^
-When the attribute `ident` is set to a path, git replaces
-`$Id$` in the blob object with `$Id:`, followed by
+When the attribute `ident` is set for a path, git replaces
+`$Id$` in the blob object with `$Id:`, followed by the
40-character hexadecimal blob object name, followed by a dollar
sign `$` upon checkout. Any byte sequence that begins with
`$Id:` and ends with `$` in the worktree file is replaced
with `$Id$` upon check-in.
-Interaction between checkin/checkout attributes
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-
-In the check-in codepath, the worktree file is first converted
-with `ident` (if specified), and then with `crlf` (again, if
-specified and applicable).
-
-In the check-out codepath, the blob content is first converted
-with `crlf`, and then `ident`.
-
-
`filter`
^^^^^^^^
-A `filter` attribute can be set to a string value. This names
+A `filter` attribute can be set to a string value that names a
filter driver specified in the configuration.
-A filter driver consists of `clean` command and `smudge`
+A filter driver consists of a `clean` command and a `smudge`
command, either of which can be left unspecified. Upon
-checkout, when `smudge` command is specified, the command is fed
-the blob object from its standard input, and its standard output
-is used to update the worktree file. Similarly, `clean` command
-is used to convert the contents of worktree file upon checkin.
+checkout, when the `smudge` command is specified, the command is
+fed the blob object from its standard input, and its standard
+output is used to update the worktree file. Similarly, the
+`clean` command is used to convert the contents of worktree file
+upon checkin.
-Missing filter driver definition in the config is not an error
+A missing filter driver definition in the config is not an error
but makes the filter a no-op passthru.
The content filtering is done to massage the content into a
shape that is more convenient for the platform, filesystem, and
-the user to use. The keyword here is "more convenient" and not
-"turning something unusable into usable". In other words, it is
-"hanging yourself because we gave you a long rope" if your
-project uses filtering mechanism in such a way that it makes
-your project unusable unless the checkout is done with a
-specific filter in effect.
+the user to use. The key phrase here is "more convenient" and not
+"turning something unusable into usable". In other words, the
+intent is that if someone unsets the filter driver definition,
+or does not have the appropriate filter program, the project
+should still be usable.
Interaction between checkin/checkout attributes
Generating diff text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-The attribute `diff` affects if `git diff` generates textual
+`diff`
+^^^^^^
+
+The attribute `diff` affects if 'git-diff' generates textual
patch for the path or just says `Binary files differ`. It also
can affect what line is shown on the hunk header `@@ -k,l +n,m @@`
line.
attribute set to `jcdiff`, it calls the command you specified
with the above configuration, i.e. `j-c-diff`, with 7
parameters, just like `GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF` program is called.
-See gitlink:git[7] for details.
+See linkgit:git[1] for details.
Defining a custom hunk-header
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-Each group of changes (called "hunk") in the textual diff output
+Each group of changes (called a "hunk") in the textual diff output
is prefixed with a line of the form:
@@ -k,l +n,m @@ TEXT
-The text is called 'hunk header', and by default a line that
-begins with an alphabet, an underscore or a dollar sign is used,
-which matches what GNU `diff -p` output uses. This default
-selection however is not suited for some contents, and you can
-use customized pattern to make a selection.
+This is called a 'hunk header'. The "TEXT" portion is by default a line
+that begins with an alphabet, an underscore or a dollar sign; this
+matches what GNU 'diff -p' output uses. This default selection however
+is not suited for some contents, and you can use a customized pattern
+to make a selection.
-First in .gitattributes, you would assign the `diff` attribute
+First, in .gitattributes, you would assign the `diff` attribute
for paths.
------------------------
*.tex diff=tex
------------------------
-Then, you would define "diff.tex.funcname" configuration to
+Then, you would define a "diff.tex.xfuncname" configuration to
specify a regular expression that matches a line that you would
-want to appear as the hunk header, like this:
+want to appear as the hunk header "TEXT", like this:
------------------------
[diff "tex"]
- funcname = "^\\(\\\\\\(sub\\)*section{.*\\)$"
+ xfuncname = "^(\\\\(sub)*section\\{.*)$"
------------------------
Note. A single level of backslashes are eaten by the
configuration file parser, so you would need to double the
backslashes; the pattern above picks a line that begins with a
-backslash, and zero or more occurences of `sub` followed by
+backslash, and zero or more occurrences of `sub` followed by
`section` followed by open brace, to the end of line.
There are a few built-in patterns to make this easier, and `tex`
is one of them, so you do not have to write the above in your
configuration file (you still need to enable this with the
-attribute mechanism, via `.gitattributes`). Another built-in
-pattern is defined for `java` that defines a pattern suitable
-for program text in Java language.
+attribute mechanism, via `.gitattributes`). The following built in
+patterns are available:
+
+- `bibtex` suitable for files with BibTeX coded references.
+
+- `java` suitable for source code in the Java language.
+
+- `pascal` suitable for source code in the Pascal/Delphi language.
+
+- `ruby` suitable for source code in the Ruby language.
+
+- `tex` suitable for source code for LaTeX documents.
Performing a three-way merge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+`merge`
+^^^^^^^
+
The attribute `merge` affects how three versions of a file is
merged when a file-level merge is necessary during `git merge`,
and other programs such as `git revert` and `git cherry-pick`.
Set::
Built-in 3-way merge driver is used to merge the
- contents in a way similar to `merge` command of `RCS`
+ contents in a way similar to 'merge' command of `RCS`
suite. This is suitable for ordinary text files.
Unset::
requested with "binary".
+Built-in merge drivers
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+There are a few built-in low-level merge drivers defined that
+can be asked for via the `merge` attribute.
+
+text::
+
+ Usual 3-way file level merge for text files. Conflicted
+ regions are marked with conflict markers `<<<<<<<`,
+ `=======` and `>>>>>>>`. The version from your branch
+ appears before the `=======` marker, and the version
+ from the merged branch appears after the `=======`
+ marker.
+
+binary::
+
+ Keep the version from your branch in the work tree, but
+ leave the path in the conflicted state for the user to
+ sort out.
+
+union::
+
+ Run 3-way file level merge for text files, but take
+ lines from both versions, instead of leaving conflict
+ markers. This tends to leave the added lines in the
+ resulting file in random order and the user should
+ verify the result. Do not use this if you do not
+ understand the implications.
+
+
Defining a custom merge driver
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-The definition of a merge driver is done in `gitconfig` not
-`gitattributes` file, so strictly speaking this manual page is a
-wrong place to talk about it. However...
+The definition of a merge driver is done in the `.git/config`
+file, not in the `gitattributes` file, so strictly speaking this
+manual page is a wrong place to talk about it. However...
To define a custom merge driver `filfre`, add a section to your
`$GIT_DIR/config` file (or `$HOME/.gitconfig` file) like this:
internal merge and the final merge.
+Checking whitespace errors
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+`whitespace`
+^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The `core.whitespace` configuration variable allows you to define what
+'diff' and 'apply' should consider whitespace errors for all paths in
+the project (See linkgit:git-config[1]). This attribute gives you finer
+control per path.
+
+Set::
+
+ Notice all types of potential whitespace errors known to git.
+
+Unset::
+
+ Do not notice anything as error.
+
+Unspecified::
+
+ Use the value of `core.whitespace` configuration variable to
+ decide what to notice as error.
+
+String::
+
+ Specify a comma separate list of common whitespace problems to
+ notice in the same format as `core.whitespace` configuration
+ variable.
+
+
+Creating an archive
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+`export-ignore`
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Files and directories with the attribute `export-ignore` won't be added to
+archive files.
+
+`export-subst`
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+If the attribute `export-subst` is set for a file then git will expand
+several placeholders when adding this file to an archive. The
+expansion depends on the availability of a commit ID, i.e., if
+linkgit:git-archive[1] has been given a tree instead of a commit or a
+tag then no replacement will be done. The placeholders are the same
+as those for the option `--pretty=format:` of linkgit:git-log[1],
+except that they need to be wrapped like this: `$Format:PLACEHOLDERS$`
+in the file. E.g. the string `$Format:%H$` will be replaced by the
+commit hash.
+
+
+USING ATTRIBUTE MACROS
+----------------------
+
+You do not want any end-of-line conversions applied to, nor textual diffs
+produced for, any binary file you track. You would need to specify e.g.
+
+------------
+*.jpg -crlf -diff
+------------
+
+but that may become cumbersome, when you have many attributes. Using
+attribute macros, you can specify groups of attributes set or unset at
+the same time. The system knows a built-in attribute macro, `binary`:
+
+------------
+*.jpg binary
+------------
+
+which is equivalent to the above. Note that the attribute macros can only
+be "Set" (see the above example that sets "binary" macro as if it were an
+ordinary attribute --- setting it in turn unsets "crlf" and "diff").
+
+
+DEFINING ATTRIBUTE MACROS
+-------------------------
+
+Custom attribute macros can be defined only in the `.gitattributes` file
+at the toplevel (i.e. not in any subdirectory). The built-in attribute
+macro "binary" is equivalent to:
+
+------------
+[attr]binary -diff -crlf
+------------
+
+
EXAMPLE
-------
the attributes given to path `t/abc` are computed as follows:
1. By examining `t/.gitattributes` (which is in the same
- diretory as the path in question), git finds that the first
+ directory as the path in question), git finds that the first
line matches. `merge` attribute is set. It also finds that
the second line matches, and attributes `foo` and `bar`
are unset.
a match, and `foo` is set, `bar` is reverted to unspecified
state, and `baz` is unset.
-As the result, the attributes assignement to `t/abc` becomes:
+As the result, the attributes assignment to `t/abc` becomes:
----------------------------------------------------------------
foo set to true
----------------------------------------------------------------
+
GIT
---
-Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite