Re: [BUG] git config --global: doc and behaviour disagree when ~/.gitconfig and XDG config file coexist

Hey there!

> Agreed based on recent thread <[email protected]> (subject « git config: unintuitive behavior with - -global and - -no-includes » in case I have mis-transcribed the message ID, a necessity to maintain plain-text mail from my mobile phone, ahem).

Thank you very much for the other thread, I have read and understand
the origin of `--global` way better now. This understanding reinforced
a PR that I raised for the git-get helper binary. The origin of my
problem is git-get's configuration, which reads its config via `git
config --global key` instead of `git config --get key`. This is the PR
for reference: https://github.com/grdl/git-get/pull/45

> > So, "when the file does not exist or even if the file exists is not
> > readble, then it is not used and the other file is used instead"
> > would probably be technically more correct, but I am not sure if
> > such a change has much value (unless you are trying to be very
> > pedantic).
>
> My thoughts as well. A readable 0-byte file is not a counterexample to the docs; if such a file is readable then it exists, and is used as documented, no?

I agree and do not want to be pedantic about the implementation. I
just tried to understand the code and added that to the report.

I still see a discrepancy between `git config --get` and `git config
--global`, though. As a user it would make sense that if we have both
`~/.gitconfig` and `~/.config/git/config` only one file is read and
written in every case. Or in other words, with your explained expected
behaviour, `git config --get` should not return a value. It is
off-putting that some commands read both files where some do not. I am
happy to understand the reasoning a little bit better, though. Maybe I
have a missing connection in my head.

Anyway, I still feel that the documentation must be updated (at least)
since Git is executing differently to it. I am happy to provide a
patch for it. I just need to read up about how I contribute it for Git
itself and the git-scm.com website including all i18n versions. Any
hints are appreciated, my starting point would be
https://git-scm.com/community though.

Best
Nils