X-Git-Url: https://git.phdru.name/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=git-wiki.txt;h=d5317044a29ec21655507aac36a8b065a724ce04;hb=36f3551fc27e21fbe4ef6276559feb61f50fb997;hp=57ba2841df3073409166f467b39f2fb573662915;hpb=9aa2facfd9f4ac3ca5a4c68a97533d0c0e56043e;p=git-wiki.git

diff --git a/git-wiki.txt b/git-wiki.txt
index 57ba284..d531704 100644
--- a/git-wiki.txt
+++ b/git-wiki.txt
@@ -49,11 +49,13 @@ many different languages. Download Russian translation from `GArik
 `Git Buch <http://gitbu.ch/index.html>`_ (German).
 
 
-Offline documentation
----------------------
+Builtin help
+------------
 
-Git has builtin help: run ``git help $TOPIC``. For example, run
-``git help git`` or ``git help help``.
+Run ``git help $TOPIC``. For example, run ``git help git`` or
+``git help help``. Run ``git help -a`` to list help topics for all
+available commands; ``git help -g`` to list help guides, i.e. help topics
+that aren't commands.
 
 
 Quick start
@@ -756,6 +758,55 @@ See `WhatIsTheIndex
 Wiki.
 
 
+Aliases
+-------
+
+Recursive aliases
+'''''''''''''''''
+
+Git doesn't allow recursive aliases. The expansion of an alias is
+interpreted by git as a builtin command. I.e., in the following example
+alias ``com`` doesn't work because there is no builtin command ``git
+ci``::
+
+    [alias]
+    ci = commit
+    com = ci
+
+You can trick git by using shell. The following example works albeit a
+bit slow::
+
+    [alias]
+    ci = commit
+    com = !git ci
+
+
+Literal expansion
+'''''''''''''''''
+
+Git interprets aliases literally. I.e., when expanding an alias git just
+does simple textual substitution. That could be a surprise if an alias
+is passed parameters on the command line. For example, the following
+alias works without parameters -- it pushes configured branch(es) to all
+configured remotes::
+
+    [alias]
+    push-to-all-remotes = !git remote | xargs -n1 git push
+
+But it doesn't work if a user wants to provide a list of branches to
+push: the command ``git push-to-all-remotes master`` is expanded by git
+as ``!git remote | xargs -n1 git push master`` which is certainly not
+what the user wants -- remote's name must comes first, before branches.
+This is a fix::
+
+    [alias]
+    push-to-all-remotes = !git remote | xargs -I% -n1 git push %
+
+Then the command ``git push-to-all-remotes master`` is expanded by git
+as ``!git remote | xargs -I% -n1 git push % master``; xargs substitutes
+``%`` with remote's name.
+
+
 Root
 ----