[PATCH v2 0/4] doc: git-reset: clarify DESCRIPTION section
From: D. Ben Knoble <hidden>
Date: 2025-12-19 00:24:16
This continues Julia Evans's excellent work updating the git-reset docs. Changes in v2: - Mostly address Junio's review while keeping to Julia's style (?), taking at a stab at a few gray areas. - I left alone the first patch, the commented-upon part of which is later rewritten anyway. v1: https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1991.git.1760731558.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/ (local) Published-as: https://github.com/benknoble/git/tree/bk/je/doc-reset Julia Evans (4): doc: git-reset: reorder the forms doc: git-reset: clarify intro doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>` Documentation/git-reset.adoc | 105 ++++++++++++++++++----------------- 1 file changed, 54 insertions(+), 51 deletions(-) Diff-intervalle contre v1 : 1: 5074fbf4ea ! 1: a558c5a868 doc: git-reset: reorder the forms @@ Metadata ## Commit message ## doc: git-reset: reorder the forms - >From user feedback: three users commented that the `git reset [mode]` + From user feedback: three users commented that the `git reset [mode]` form is the one that they primarily use, and that they were suprised to see it listed last. ("I've never used git reset in any mode other than --hard"). 2: c7049edf39 ! 2: f90be8559f doc: git-reset: clarify intro @@ Metadata ## Commit message ## doc: git-reset: clarify intro - >From user feedback, there were several points of confusion: + From user feedback, there were several points of confusion: - What "tree-ish", "entries", "working tree", "HEAD", and "index" mean ("I have no clue what the index is", "I've been using git for 20 years @@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: git-reset(1) NAME ---- -git-reset - Reset current HEAD to the specified state -+git-reset - Set HEAD to point at the specified commit ++git-reset - Set HEAD or the index to a known state SYNOPSIS -------- @@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: git reset (--patch | -p) [<tree-ish>] [--] [<paths -optionally modifying index and working tree to match. -The _<tree-ish>_/_<commit>_ defaults to `HEAD` in all forms. -In the last three forms, copy entries from _<tree-ish>_ to the index. -+`git reset [<mode>] <commit>` changes which commit HEAD points to. -+This makes it possible to undo various Git operations, for example -+commit, merge, rebase, and pull. ++`git reset` does either of the following: + -+However, when you specify files or directories or pass `--patch`, -+`git reset` will instead update the staged version of the specified -+files without updating HEAD. ++1. `git reset [<mode>] <commit>` changes which commit HEAD points to. This makes ++ it possible to undo various Git operations, for example commit, merge, ++ rebase, and pull. ++2. When you specify files or directories or pass `--patch`, `git reset` updates ++ the staged version of the specified files. `git reset [<mode>] [<commit>]`:: This form resets the current branch head to _<commit>_ and 3: 84aed17da6 ! 3: 89c87c14aa doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` @@ Metadata ## Commit message ## doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` - >From user feedback, there was some confusion about the differences + From user feedback, there was some confusion about the differences between the modes, including: 1. Sometimes it says "index" and sometimes "index file". Fix by replacing "index file" with "index". 2. Many comments about not being able to understand what `--merge` does. - Fix by mentioning `git merge --abort` since my best guess is that - most folks want to use that instead of `git reset --merge`. + Fix by mentioning obscure situations, since that seems to be what + it's for. Most folks will use `git <cmd> --abort`. 3. Issues telling the difference between --soft and --mixed, as well as --keep. Leave --keep alone because I couldn't understand its use case, but change `--soft` / `--mixed` / `--hard` as follows: @@ Commit message Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] ## Documentation/git-reset.adoc ## -@@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: However, when you specify files or directories or pass `--patch`, - files without updating HEAD. +@@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: DESCRIPTION + the staged version of the specified files. `git reset [<mode>] [<commit>]`:: - This form resets the current branch head to _<commit>_ and @@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: However, when you specify files or directories or linkgit:git-add[1]). +`--soft`:: -+ Leaves your working directory unchanged. The index is left unchanged, -+ so everything in your current commit will be staged. ++ Leave your working tree files and the index unchanged. + For example, if you have no staged changes, you can use + `git reset --soft HEAD~5; git commit` -+ to combine the last 5 commits into 1 commit. ++ to combine the last 5 commits into 1 commit. This works even with ++ changes in the working tree, which are left untouched, but such usage ++ can lead to confusion. + `--hard`:: - Resets the index and working tree. Any changes to tracked files in the - working tree since _<commit>_ are discarded. Any untracked files or - directories in the way of writing any tracked files are simply deleted. + Overwrites all files and directories with the version from _<commit>_, -+ and may overwrite untracked files. ++ and may overwrite untracked files. Tracked files not in _<commit>_ are ++ removed so that the working tree matches _<commit>_. + Updates the index to match the new HEAD, so nothing will be staged. `--merge`:: -+ Mainly exists for backwards compatibility: `git merge --abort` is the -+ usual way to abort a merge. See linkgit:git-merge[1] for the differences. ++ Mainly exists to reset unmerged index entries, like those left behind by ++ `git am -3` or `git switch -m` in certain situations. Resets the index and updates the files in the working tree that are different between _<commit>_ and `HEAD`, but keeps those which are different between the index and working tree (i.e. which have changes 4: 0b9583f872 ! 4: d6582dc53c doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>` @@ Metadata ## Commit message ## doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>` - >From user feedback: + From user feedback: - Continued confusion about the terms "tree-ish" and "pathspec" - The word "hunks" is confusing folks, use "changes" instead. @@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: linkgit:git-add[1]). -and specifying a commit with `--source`, you -can copy the contents of a path out of a commit to the index and to the -working tree in one go. -+`git reset` only modifies the index: use linkgit:git-restore[1] instead -+if you'd like to also update the file in your working directory. ++In this mode, `git reset` updates only the index (without updating the HEAD or ++working tree files). If you want to update the files as well as the index ++entries, use linkgit:git-restore[1]. `git reset (--patch | -p) [<tree-ish>] [--] [<pathspec>...]`:: - Interactively select hunks in the difference between the index @@ Documentation/git-reset.adoc: linkgit:git-add[1]). - in reverse to the index. + Interactively select changes from the difference between the index + and the specified commit or tree (which defaults to `HEAD`). -+ The chosen changes are unstaged. ++ The chosen changes are added to the index. + This means that `git reset -p` is the opposite of `git add -p`, i.e. -you can use it to selectively reset hunks. See the "Interactive Mode" -- 2.52.0.rc0.365.g9bf09b728d.dirty