Re: archiving directory metadata but not contents

[Paul Jarc]

Paul Eggert <address@hidden> wrote:
>> tar -c --no-recursion foo --recursion foo/bar
>> But the info doesn't make it clear that this is *supposed* to work.
>
> Can you please suggest a change to the documentation to clarify this?
> That would help make the guarantee that you want.

I don't know texinfo all that well, so maybe this markup can be
improved.

        * doc/tar.texi (recurse): Add example for --no-recursion/--recursion.
        From Paul Jarc <address@hidden>.

--- tar.texi~   2001-09-26 14:45:47.000000000 -0400
+++ tar.texi    2002-06-09 16:07:26.000000000 -0400
@@ -5767,7 +5767,20 @@
 The @value{op-no-recursion} option also affects how exclude patterns
 are interpreted (@pxref{controlling pattern-patching with exclude}).
 
address@hidden here}
+If both @samp{--no-recursion} and @samp{--recursion} are given, each
+applies to the files that follow it on the command line, up to the
+next occurrence of @samp{--recursion} or @samp{--no-recursion}.  For
+example,
+
address@hidden
+$ @kbd{tar -c --norecursion foo bar --recursion foo/baz bar/quux}
address@hidden example
+
address@hidden
+will create an archive including the @file{foo} and @file{bar}
+directories (with their metadata), and the recursive contents of
address@hidden/baz} and @file{bar/quux}, but not other contents of the
address@hidden and @file{bar} directories.
 
 @node one
 @section Crossing Filesystem Boundaries