newren/git-filter-repo

Document that --refs parameters cannot start with a hyphen

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#469 opened on May 20, 2023

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docsgood first issue

Description

Found beside another issue: https://github.com/newren/git-filter-repo/issues/468

If use --refs as range parameter just like in the git filter-branch:

git-filter-repo-replace-text.sh:

function call()
{
  local IFS=$' \t'
  echo ">$*"
  "$@"
}

expressions_text="$1"

TEMP_OUTPUT_FILE=`mktemp -t git_filter_repo_update_file_text.XXXXXXXXXX`

# cleanup on return
trap "rm -rf \"$TEMP_OUTPUT_FILE\" 2> /dev/null; trap - RETURN" RETURN

call git-filter-repo-replace-text --replace-text "$TEMP_OUTPUT_FILE" "${@:2}"

git-filter-repo-replace-text "<p/>==></p>" --refs master --not t1^@

>git filter-repo --replace-text /tmp/git_filter_repo_update_file_text.wSOPH7Vu7j --refs master --not t1^@
git-filter-repo: error: unrecognized arguments: --not t1^@

I know it has to be a bit corrected:

git-filter-repo-replace-text.sh "<p/>==></p>" --refs master ^t1^@

But nevertheless --refs is not completely compatible with the git rev-list format.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentationcli
Issue type
documentation
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
under 1 hour
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
basic git knowledgefamiliarity with git filter repo
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
80
Research direction
Read the issue and the referenced issue #468 to understand the limitation. Confirm the behavior by checking the argument parsing code in the repository (likely in git filter repo or related files). Update the documentation (e.g., README or help text) to state that refs parameters cannot start with a hyphen, as they would be interpreted as options. Provide an example of correct usage.