config: define and document exit codes

[git.git] / Documentation / git-config.txt

git-config(1)
=============

NAME
----
git-config - Get and set repository or global options


SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git config' [<file-option>] [type] [-z|--null] name [value [value_regex]]
'git config' [<file-option>] [type] --add name value
'git config' [<file-option>] [type] --replace-all name value [value_regex]
'git config' [<file-option>] [type] [-z|--null] --get name [value_regex]
'git config' [<file-option>] [type] [-z|--null] --get-all name [value_regex]
'git config' [<file-option>] [type] [-z|--null] --get-regexp name_regex [value_regex]
'git config' [<file-option>] --unset name [value_regex]
'git config' [<file-option>] --unset-all name [value_regex]
'git config' [<file-option>] --rename-section old_name new_name
'git config' [<file-option>] --remove-section name
'git config' [<file-option>] [-z|--null] -l | --list
'git config' [<file-option>] --get-color name [default]
'git config' [<file-option>] --get-colorbool name [stdout-is-tty]
'git config' [<file-option>] -e | --edit

DESCRIPTION
-----------
You can query/set/replace/unset options with this command. The name is
actually the section and the key separated by a dot, and the value will be
escaped.

Multiple lines can be added to an option by using the '--add' option.
If you want to update or unset an option which can occur on multiple
lines, a POSIX regexp `value_regex` needs to be given.  Only the
existing values that match the regexp are updated or unset.  If
you want to handle the lines that do *not* match the regex, just
prepend a single exclamation mark in front (see also <<EXAMPLES>>).

The type specifier can be either '--int' or '--bool', to make
'git config' ensure that the variable(s) are of the given type and
convert the value to the canonical form (simple decimal number for int,
a "true" or "false" string for bool), or '--path', which does some
path expansion (see '--path' below).  If no type specifier is passed, no
checks or transformations are performed on the value.

The file-option can be one of '--system', '--global' or '--file'
which specify where the values will be read from or written to.
The default is to assume the config file of the current repository,
.git/config unless defined otherwise with GIT_DIR and GIT_CONFIG
(see <<FILES>>).

This command will fail (with exit code ret) if:

. 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).

On success, the command returns the exit code 0.

OPTIONS
-------

--replace-all::
        Default behavior is to replace at most one line. This replaces
        all lines matching the key (and optionally the value_regex).

--add::
        Adds a new line to the option without altering any existing
        values.  This is the same as providing '^$' as the value_regex
        in `--replace-all`.

--get::
        Get the value for a given key (optionally filtered by a regex
        matching the value). Returns error code 1 if the key was not
        found and error code 2 if multiple key values were found.

--get-all::
        Like get, but does not fail if the number of values for the key
        is not exactly one.

--get-regexp::
        Like --get-all, but interprets the name as a regular expression.
        Also outputs the key names.

--global::
        For writing options: write to global ~/.gitconfig file rather than
        the repository .git/config.
+
For reading options: read only from global ~/.gitconfig rather than
from all available files.
+
See also <<FILES>>.

--system::
        For writing options: write to system-wide $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig
        rather than the repository .git/config.
+
For reading options: read only from system-wide $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig
rather than from all available files.
+
See also <<FILES>>.

-f config-file::
--file config-file::
        Use the given config file instead of the one specified by GIT_CONFIG.

--remove-section::
        Remove the given section from the configuration file.

--rename-section::
        Rename the given section to a new name.

--unset::
        Remove the line matching the key from config file.

--unset-all::
        Remove all lines matching the key from config file.

-l::
--list::
        List all variables set in config file.

--bool::
        'git config' will ensure that the output is "true" or "false"

--int::
        'git config' will ensure that the output is a simple
        decimal number.  An optional value suffix of 'k', 'm', or 'g'
        in the config file will cause the value to be multiplied
        by 1024, 1048576, or 1073741824 prior to output.

--bool-or-int::
        'git config' will ensure that the output matches the format of
        either --bool or --int, as described above.

--path::
        'git-config' will expand leading '{tilde}' to the value of
        '$HOME', and '{tilde}user' to the home directory for the
        specified user.  This option has no effect when setting the
        value (but you can use 'git config bla {tilde}/' from the
        command line to let your shell do the expansion).

-z::
--null::
        For all options that output values and/or keys, always
        end values with the null character (instead of a
        newline). Use newline instead as a delimiter between
        key and value. This allows for secure parsing of the
        output without getting confused e.g. by values that
        contain line breaks.

--get-colorbool name [stdout-is-tty]::

        Find the color setting for `name` (e.g. `color.diff`) and output
        "true" or "false".  `stdout-is-tty` should be either "true" or
        "false", and is taken into account when configuration says
        "auto".  If `stdout-is-tty` is missing, then checks the standard
        output of the command itself, and exits with status 0 if color
        is to be used, or exits with status 1 otherwise.
        When the color setting for `name` is undefined, the command uses
        `color.ui` as fallback.

--get-color name [default]::

        Find the color configured for `name` (e.g. `color.diff.new`) and
        output it as the ANSI color escape sequence to the standard
        output.  The optional `default` parameter is used instead, if
        there is no color configured for `name`.

-e::
--edit::
        Opens an editor to modify the specified config file; either
        '--system', '--global', or repository (default).

[[FILES]]
FILES
-----

If not set explicitly with '--file', there are three files where
'git config' will search for configuration options:

$GIT_DIR/config::
        Repository specific configuration file. (The filename is
        of course relative to the repository root, not the working
        directory.)

~/.gitconfig::
        User-specific configuration file. Also called "global"
        configuration file.

$(prefix)/etc/gitconfig::
        System-wide configuration file.

If no further options are given, all reading options will read all of these
files that are available. If the global or the system-wide configuration
file are not available they will be ignored. If the repository configuration
file is not available or readable, 'git config' will exit with a non-zero
error code. However, in neither case will an error message be issued.

All writing options will per default write to the repository specific
configuration file. Note that this also affects options like '--replace-all'
and '--unset'. *'git config' will only ever change one file at a time*.

You can override these rules either by command line options or by environment
variables. The '--global' and the '--system' options will limit the file used
to the global or system-wide file respectively. The GIT_CONFIG environment
variable has a similar effect, but you can specify any filename you want.


ENVIRONMENT
-----------

GIT_CONFIG::
        Take the configuration from the given file instead of .git/config.
        Using the "--global" option forces this to ~/.gitconfig. Using the
        "--system" option forces this to $(prefix)/etc/gitconfig.

See also <<FILES>>.


[[EXAMPLES]]
EXAMPLES
--------

Given a .git/config like this:

        #
        # This is the config file, and
        # a '#' or ';' character indicates
        # a comment
        #

        ; core variables
        [core]
                ; Don't trust file modes
                filemode = false

        ; Our diff algorithm
        [diff]
                external = /usr/local/bin/diff-wrapper
                renames = true

        ; Proxy settings
        [core]
                gitproxy="proxy-command" for kernel.org
                gitproxy=default-proxy ; for all the rest

you can set the filemode to true with

------------
% git config core.filemode true
------------

The hypothetical proxy command entries actually have a postfix to discern
what URL they apply to. Here is how to change the entry for kernel.org
to "ssh".

------------
% git config core.gitproxy '"ssh" for kernel.org' 'for kernel.org$'
------------

This makes sure that only the key/value pair for kernel.org is replaced.

To delete the entry for renames, do

------------
% git config --unset diff.renames
------------

If you want to delete an entry for a multivar (like core.gitproxy above),
you have to provide a regex matching the value of exactly one line.

To query the value for a given key, do

------------
% git config --get core.filemode
------------

or

------------
% git config core.filemode
------------

or, to query a multivar:

------------
% git config --get core.gitproxy "for kernel.org$"
------------

If you want to know all the values for a multivar, do:

------------
% git config --get-all core.gitproxy
------------

If you like to live dangerously, you can replace *all* core.gitproxy by a
new one with

------------
% git config --replace-all core.gitproxy ssh
------------

However, if you really only want to replace the line for the default proxy,
i.e. the one without a "for ..." postfix, do something like this:

------------
% git config core.gitproxy ssh '! for '
------------

To actually match only values with an exclamation mark, you have to

------------
% git config section.key value '[!]'
------------

To add a new proxy, without altering any of the existing ones, use

------------
% git config core.gitproxy '"proxy-command" for example.com'
------------

An example to use customized color from the configuration in your
script:

------------
#!/bin/sh
WS=$(git config --get-color color.diff.whitespace "blue reverse")
RESET=$(git config --get-color "" "reset")
echo "${WS}your whitespace color or blue reverse${RESET}"
------------

include::config.txt[]

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite