doc: commit: document special date keywords for --date

[mdferdousalam]

The --date option in git-commit accepts human-readable keywords
like "now", "yesterday", "noon", "midnight", "tea", and "never",
but these were not documented. Add them to the "DATE FORMATS"
section of git-commit(1), and expand the --date option description
to point readers there.

This addresses #302

Signed-off-by: mdferdousalam mdferdousalam1989@yahoo.com
cc: Engr Md Ferdous Alam mdferdousalam1989@yahoo.com

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[gitgitgadget]

Error: User mdferdousalam is not yet permitted to use GitGitGadget

[mdferdousalam]

Hi @dscho, this is my first GitGitGadget PR. Could you please /allow me so I can submit it to the mailing list? Thanks!

[dscho]

/allow

[gitgitgadget]

User mdferdousalam is now allowed to use GitGitGadget.

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[mdferdousalam]

/submit

[gitgitgadget]

Submitted as pull.2051.git.1771836303147.gitgitgadget@gmail.com

To fetch this version into FETCH_HEAD:

git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/ pr-2051/mdferdousalam/doc-commit-date-special-strings-v1

To fetch this version to local tag pr-2051/mdferdousalam/doc-commit-date-special-strings-v1:

git fetch --no-tags https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/ tag pr-2051/mdferdousalam/doc-commit-date-special-strings-v1

[mdferdousalam]

/submit

[gitgitgadget]

Error: 77b6b8f was already submitted

[mdferdousalam]

/submit

[gitgitgadget]

Error: 77b6b8f was already submitted

[gitgitgadget]

Junio C Hamano wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

"Md Ferdous Alam via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> From: mdferdousalam <mdferdousalam1989@yahoo.com>
>
> The --date option in git-commit accepts human-readable keywords
> like "now", "yesterday", "noon", "midnight", "tea", and "never",
> but these were not documented.

I've always thought that these are easter eggs to be discovered,
deliberately left out of documentation, as they mostly exist to be
amusing.  For those who want to be precise, the date formats section
gives sufficient information.

Other than perhaps "now", which may be handy but not so useful in
the context of "git commit --date=now".

Moreover, 7.days.ago and 1.week.ago are also in the same category as
what you called "keywords" here, but we do not try to make an
exhausitive list.

So, I dunno.

[gitgitgadget]

Engr Md Ferdous Alam wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:


> I've always thought that these are easter eggs to be discovered,
> deliberately left out of documentation, as they mostly exist to be
> amusing.  For those who want to be precise, the date formats section
> gives sufficient information.
>
> Moreover, 7.days.ago and 1.week.ago are also in the same category as
> what you called "keywords" here, but we do not try to make an
> exhausitive list.
>
> So, I dunno.


That makes sense.  I had not considered that these were intentionally
left undocumented as easter eggs.  And you are right that trying to
list some without listing all (like 7.days.ago) would be incomplete
and misleading.


I will withdraw this patch.  Thank you for the explanation.


Md Ferdous Alam



  







On Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11:10:23 PM GMT+6, Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote: 





"Md Ferdous Alam via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:


> From: mdferdousalam <mdferdousalam1989@yahoo.com>
>
> The --date option in git-commit accepts human-readable keywords
> like "now", "yesterday", "noon", "midnight", "tea", and "never",
> but these were not documented.


I've always thought that these are easter eggs to be discovered,
deliberately left out of documentation, as they mostly exist to be
amusing.  For those who want to be precise, the date formats section
gives sufficient information.

Other than perhaps "now", which may be handy but not so useful in
the context of "git commit --date=now".

Moreover, 7.days.ago and 1.week.ago are also in the same category as
what you called "keywords" here, but we do not try to make an
exhausitive list.

So, I dunno.

[gitgitgadget]

User Engr Md Ferdous Alam <mdferdousalam1989@yahoo.com> has been added to the cc: list.