[PATCH] doc: `--date` in `git-commit` accepts approxidates

Subsystems: documentation, the rest

STALE1997d

4 messages, 2 authors, 2021-02-23 · open the first message on its own page

[PATCH] doc: `--date` in `git-commit` accepts approxidates

From: Utku Gultopu via GitGitGadget <hidden>
Date: 2021-02-23 17:36:39

From: Utku Gultopu <redacted>

Document the fact that the `--date` option in `git-commit` accepts any
date format that is accepted by the `approxidate_careful` function,
which is located in `date.c`.

Signed-off-by: Utku Gultopu <redacted>
---
    doc: --date in git-commit accepts approxidates
    
    Without the documentation, it is kind of a "hidden feature", which I was
    able to discover only through online forums.
    
    I guess this patch is not ideal, because instead of properly
    documenting, it refers the user to the code. However I wasn't able to
    find documentation about the "approxidates" which I can link to. Please
    let me know how I can improve it.

Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-969%2Fugultopu%2Fdocument-approxidates-for-date-argument-v1
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-969/ugultopu/document-approxidates-for-date-argument-v1
Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/969

 Documentation/date-formats.txt | 9 +++------
 Documentation/git-commit.txt   | 4 +++-
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/date-formats.txt b/Documentation/date-formats.txt
index f1097fac69a6..8332f592e252 100644
--- a/Documentation/date-formats.txt
+++ b/Documentation/date-formats.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
-DATE FORMATS
-------------
+DATE FORMATS[[DATES]]
+---------------------
 
-The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE`, `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
-ifdef::git-commit[]
-and the `--date` option
-endif::git-commit[]
+The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE` and `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
 support the following date formats:
 
 Git internal format::
diff --git a/Documentation/git-commit.txt b/Documentation/git-commit.txt
index 17150fa7eabe..b96b7715a0a8 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-commit.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-commit.txt
@@ -143,7 +143,9 @@ OPTIONS
 	the commit author is then copied from the first such commit found.
 
 --date=<date>::
-	Override the author date used in the commit.
+	Override the author date used in the commit. The '<date>' can be in
+	any format that is accepted by the `approxidate_careful` function
+	in `date.c` or the <<DATES, DATE FORMATS>> section below.
 
 -m <msg>::
 --message=<msg>::
base-commit: 966e671106b2fd38301e7c344c754fd118d0bb07
-- 
gitgitgadget

Re: [PATCH] doc: `--date` in `git-commit` accepts approxidates

From: Jeff King <hidden>
Date: 2021-02-23 18:12:35

On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 05:35:46PM +0000, Utku Gultopu via GitGitGadget wrote:
From: Utku Gultopu <redacted>

Document the fact that the `--date` option in `git-commit` accepts any
date format that is accepted by the `approxidate_careful` function,
which is located in `date.c`.
I agree it's worth documenting this a bit better, but...
    I guess this patch is not ideal, because instead of properly
    documenting, it refers the user to the code. However I wasn't able to
    find documentation about the "approxidates" which I can link to. Please
    let me know how I can improve it.
...yeah. I don't think the phrase "approxidate_careful" is really
meaningful to end users.

Perhaps we can leave this hunk intact:
+DATE FORMATS[[DATES]]
+---------------------
 
-The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE`, `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
-ifdef::git-commit[]
-and the `--date` option
-endif::git-commit[]
+The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE` and `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
 support the following date formats:
since it's true that --date does accept those formats.

And then at the end of that section, expand what it's willing to take:

ifdef::git-commit[]
The `--date` option (but not the environment variables) will also try to
make sense of other more human-centric date formats, including relative
dates like "yesterday" or "last Friday at noon".
endif::git-commit[]

-Peff

[PATCH v2] doc: `--date` in `git-commit` accepts approxidates

From: Utku Gultopu via GitGitGadget <hidden>
Date: 2021-02-23 18:53:17

From: Utku Gultopu <redacted>

Document the fact that the `--date` option in `git-commit` accepts any
date format that is accepted by the `approxidate_careful` function,
which is located in `date.c`.

Signed-off-by: Utku Gultopu <redacted>
---
    doc: --date in git-commit accepts approxidates
    
    Without the documentation, it is kind of a "hidden feature", which I was
    able to discover only through online forums.
    
    I guess this patch is not ideal, because instead of properly
    documenting, it refers the user to the code. However I wasn't able to
    find documentation about the "approxidates" which I can link to. Please
    let me know how I can improve it.

Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-969%2Fugultopu%2Fdocument-approxidates-for-date-argument-v2
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-969/ugultopu/document-approxidates-for-date-argument-v2
Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/969

Range-diff vs v1:

 1:  9116ad67a0c6 ! 1:  e564d7d9af3d doc: `--date` in `git-commit` accepts approxidates
     @@ Commit message
      
       ## Documentation/date-formats.txt ##
      @@
     --DATE FORMATS
     --------------
     -+DATE FORMATS[[DATES]]
     -+---------------------
     + DATE FORMATS
     + ------------
       
      -The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE`, `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
      -ifdef::git-commit[]
     @@ Documentation/date-formats.txt
       support the following date formats:
       
       Git internal format::
     -
     - ## Documentation/git-commit.txt ##
     -@@ Documentation/git-commit.txt: OPTIONS
     - 	the commit author is then copied from the first such commit found.
     - 
     - --date=<date>::
     --	Override the author date used in the commit.
     -+	Override the author date used in the commit. The '<date>' can be in
     -+	any format that is accepted by the `approxidate_careful` function
     -+	in `date.c` or the <<DATES, DATE FORMATS>> section below.
     - 
     - -m <msg>::
     - --message=<msg>::
     +@@ Documentation/date-formats.txt: ISO 8601::
     + +
     + NOTE: In addition, the date part is accepted in the following formats:
     + `YYYY.MM.DD`, `MM/DD/YYYY` and `DD.MM.YYYY`.
     ++
     ++ifdef::git-commit[]
     ++In addition to recognizing all date formats above, the `--date` option
     ++will also try to make sense of other, more human-centric date formats,
     ++such as relative dates like "yesterday" or "last Friday at noon". For
     ++further details on what kind of formats are accepted, please refer to
     ++the `approxidate_careful` function in `date.c` file in Git source code.
     ++endif::git-commit[]


 Documentation/date-formats.txt | 13 +++++++++----
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/date-formats.txt b/Documentation/date-formats.txt
index f1097fac69a6..b86a5a25fe46 100644
--- a/Documentation/date-formats.txt
+++ b/Documentation/date-formats.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 DATE FORMATS
 ------------
 
-The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE`, `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
-ifdef::git-commit[]
-and the `--date` option
-endif::git-commit[]
+The `GIT_AUTHOR_DATE` and `GIT_COMMITTER_DATE` environment variables
 support the following date formats:
 
 Git internal format::
@@ -26,3 +23,11 @@ ISO 8601::
 +
 NOTE: In addition, the date part is accepted in the following formats:
 `YYYY.MM.DD`, `MM/DD/YYYY` and `DD.MM.YYYY`.
+
+ifdef::git-commit[]
+In addition to recognizing all date formats above, the `--date` option
+will also try to make sense of other, more human-centric date formats,
+such as relative dates like "yesterday" or "last Friday at noon". For
+further details on what kind of formats are accepted, please refer to
+the `approxidate_careful` function in `date.c` file in Git source code.
+endif::git-commit[]
base-commit: 966e671106b2fd38301e7c344c754fd118d0bb07
-- 
gitgitgadget

Re: [PATCH v2] doc: `--date` in `git-commit` accepts approxidates

From: Jeff King <hidden>
Date: 2021-02-23 19:06:51

On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 06:52:02PM +0000, Utku Gultopu via GitGitGadget wrote:
+ifdef::git-commit[]
+In addition to recognizing all date formats above, the `--date` option
+will also try to make sense of other, more human-centric date formats,
+such as relative dates like "yesterday" or "last Friday at noon". For
+further details on what kind of formats are accepted, please refer to
+the `approxidate_careful` function in `date.c` file in Git source code.
+endif::git-commit[]
OK. This is still referring to `approxidate_careful`, which may not be
meaningful to most users. But at least it makes a best effort at a
hand-waving definition before then. :)

I'd probably omit the final sentence entirely (as it may simply confuse
people who don't know how to find Git's source), but I'm OK with it
either way.

-Peff
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