ls-files: clarify descriptions of status tags for -t

Much like the file selection options we tweaked in the last commit, the status tags printed with -t had descriptions that were easy to misunderstand, and for many of the same reasons. Clarify them. Also, while at it, remove the "semi-deprecated" comment for "git ls-files -t". The -t option was marked as semi-deprecated in 5bc0e247c4 ("Document ls-files -t as semi-obsolete.", 2010-07-28) because:     "git ls-files -t" is [...] badly documented, hence we point the     users to superior alternatives.     The feature is marked as "semi-obsolete" but not "scheduled for removal"     since it's a plumbing command, scripts might use it, and Git testsuite     already uses it to test the state of the index. Marking it as obsolete because it was easily misunderstood, which I think was primarily due to documentation problems, is one strategy, but I think fixing the documentation is a better option. Especially since in the intervening time, "git ls-files -t" has become heavily used by sparse-checkout users where the same confusion just doesn't apply. Signed-off-by: Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

Elijah Newren committed Jan 13, 2023 at 04:41 UTC 4173b806c75dbcf4406c7a5ad6158dcbfa2beb2f
1 file changed +15 -13
Documentation/git-ls-files.txt
+15 -13
@@ -137,25 +137,27 @@ OPTIONS
137 with `-s` or `-u` options does not make any sense.
138
139 -t::
140 - This feature is semi-deprecated. For scripting purpose,
141 - linkgit:git-status[1] `--porcelain` and
140 + Show status tags together with filenames. Note that for
141 + scripting purposes, linkgit:git-status[1] `--porcelain` and
142 linkgit:git-diff-files[1] `--name-status` are almost always
143 superior alternatives, and users should look at
144 linkgit:git-status[1] `--short` or linkgit:git-diff[1]
145 `--name-status` for more user-friendly alternatives.
146 +
147 --
148 -This option identifies the file status with the following tags (followed by
149 -a space) at the start of each line:
150 -
151 - H:: cached
152 - S:: skip-worktree
153 - M:: unmerged
154 - R:: removed/deleted
155 - C:: modified/changed
156 - K:: to be killed
157 - ?:: other
158 - U:: resolve-undo
148 +This option provides a reason for showing each filename, in the form
149 +of a status tag (which is followed by a space and then the filename).
150 +The status tags are all single characters from the following list:
151 +
152 + H:: tracked file that is not either unmerged or skip-worktree
153 + S:: tracked file that is skip-worktree
154 + M:: tracked file that is unmerged
155 + R:: tracked file with unstaged removal/deletion
156 + C:: tracked file with unstaged modification/change
157 + K:: untracked paths which are part of file/directory conflicts
158 + which prevent checking out tracked files
159 + ?:: untracked file
160 + U:: file with resolve-undo information
161 --
162
163 -v::