'--file <filename>' can be used to tell the command to write to
that location (you can say '--local' but that is the default).
-This command will fail (with exit code ret) if:
+This command will fail with non-zero status upon error. Some exit
+codes are:
. The config file is invalid (ret=3),
. can not write to the config file (ret=4),
. no section or name was provided (ret=2),
. the section or key is invalid (ret=1),
. you try to unset an option which does not exist (ret=5),
-. you try to unset/set an option for which multiple lines match (ret=5),
-. you try to use an invalid regexp (ret=6), or
-. you use '--global' option without $HOME being properly set (ret=128).
+. you try to unset/set an option for which multiple lines match (ret=5), or
+. you try to use an invalid regexp (ret=6).
On success, the command returns the exit code 0.
--global::
For writing options: write to global ~/.gitconfig file rather than
- the repository .git/config.
+ the repository .git/config, write to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config file
+ if this file exists and the ~/.gitconfig file doesn't.
+
-For reading options: read only from global ~/.gitconfig rather than
-from all available files.
+For reading options: read only from global ~/.gitconfig and from
+$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config rather than from all available files.
+
See also <<FILES>>.
FILES
-----
-If not set explicitly with '--file', there are three files where
+If not set explicitly with '--file', there are four files where
'git config' will search for configuration options:
$GIT_DIR/config::
User-specific configuration file. Also called "global"
configuration file.
+$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config::
+ Second user-specific configuration file. If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is not set
+ or empty, $HOME/.config/git/config will be used. Any single-valued
+ variable set in this file will be overwritten by whatever is in
+ ~/.gitconfig. It is a good idea not to create this file if
+ you sometimes use older versions of Git, as support for this
+ file was added fairly recently.
+
$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig::
System-wide configuration file.