------------
If `--batch` or `--batch-check` is given, `cat-file` will read objects
-from stdin, one per line, and print information about them.
-
-Each line is considered as a whole object name, and is parsed as if
-given to linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
+from stdin, one per line, and print information about them. By default,
+the whole line is considered as an object, as if it were fed to
+linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
You can specify the information shown for each object by using a custom
`<format>`. The `<format>` is copied literally to stdout for each
The size, in bytes, that the object takes up on disk. See the
note about on-disk sizes in the `CAVEATS` section below.
+`rest`::
+ If this atom is used in the output string, input lines are split
+ at the first whitespace boundary. All characters before that
+ whitespace are considered to be the object name; characters
+ after that first run of whitespace (i.e., the "rest" of the
+ line) are output in place of the `%(rest)` atom.
+
If no format is specified, the default format is `%(objectname)
%(objecttype) %(objectsize)`.