Re: [PATCH 1/2] cat-file doc: document that -e will return some output

Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason  [off-list ref] writes:

The -e option added in 7950571ad7 ("A few more options for
git-cat-file", 2005-12-03) has always errored out with message on
stderr saying that the provided object is malformed, currently:

    $ git cat-file -e malformed; echo $?
    fatal: Not a valid object name malformed
    128

A careful reader of this documentation would be mislead into thinking
the could write:

    if ! git cat-file -e "$object" [...]

It is arguable if such a reader is careful or careless.  I'd rather drop
s/careful // there ;-)

As opposed to:

    if ! git cat-file -e "$object" 2>/dev/null [...]

To check whether some arbitrary $object string was both valid, and
pointed to an object that exists.

Signed-off-by: Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason <redacted>
---
 Documentation/git-cat-file.txt | 7 ++++---
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)