git-help: add "help.format" config variable.

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

diff --git a/Documentation/git-help.txt b/Documentation/git-help.txt
index ac9e15d7748a17bdd552acfb0c690ffea459a87c..31ec403a705456b0fcc41eb7196484e0919eccae 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/git-help.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-help.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ git-help - display help information about git
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------

-'git help' [-a|--all|-i|--info|-w|--web] [COMMAND]
+'git help' [-a|--all|-i|--info|-m|--man|-w|--web] [COMMAND]

 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------


@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ printed on the standard output.
 
 If a git command is named, a manual page for that command is brought
 up. The 'man' program is used by default for this purpose, but this
 
 If a git command is named, a manual page for that command is brought
 up. The 'man' program is used by default for this purpose, but this

-can be overriden by other options.
+can be overriden by other options or configuration variables.

 
 Note that 'git --help ...' is identical as 'git help ...' because the
 former is internally converted into the latter.
 
 Note that 'git --help ...' is identical as 'git help ...' because the
 former is internally converted into the latter.


@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ OPTIONS
        Use the 'info' program to display the manual page, instead of
        the 'man' program that is used by default.
 
        Use the 'info' program to display the manual page, instead of
        the 'man' program that is used by default.
 

+-m|--man::
+       Use the 'man' program to display the manual page. This may be
+       used to override a value set in the 'help.format'
+       configuration variable.
+

 -w|--web::
        Use a web browser to display the HTML manual page, instead of
        the 'man' program that is used by default.
 -w|--web::
        Use a web browser to display the HTML manual page, instead of
        the 'man' program that is used by default.


@@ -54,6 +59,34 @@ is available in PATH.
 Note that the script tries, as much as possible, to display the HTML
 page in a new tab on an already opened browser.
 
 Note that the script tries, as much as possible, to display the HTML
 page in a new tab on an already opened browser.
 

+CONFIGURATION VARIABLES
+-----------------------
+
+If no command line option is passed, the 'help.format' configuration
+variable will be checked. The following values are supported for this
+variable; they make 'git-help' behave as their corresponding command
+line option:
+
+* "man" corresponds to '-m|--man',
+* "info" corresponds to '-i|--info',
+* "web" or "html" correspond to '-w|--web',
+
+The 'help.browser', 'web.browser' and 'browser.<tool>.path' will also
+be checked if the 'web' format is choosen (either by command line
+option or configuration variable). See '-w|--web' in the OPTIONS
+section above.
+
+Note that these configuration variables should probably be set using
+the '--global' flag, for example like this:
+
+------------------------------------------------
+$ git config --global help.format web
+$ git config --global web.browser firefox
+------------------------------------------------
+
+as they are probably more user specific than repository specific.
+See gitlink:git-config[1] for more information about this.
+

 Author
 ------
 Written by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> and the git-list
 Author
 ------
 Written by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> and the git-list