Git alias appending parameters to end

Question

I'm using Git Bash v1.8.1, with a few aliases (for testing):

[alias]
    ekko = !echo $1 && echo $1
    ekko2 = !sh -c 'echo $1 && echo $1'

But when I run them, I see:

> git ekko master
master
master master

And:

> git ekko2 master
(blank line) 
(blank line) 

My intended behavior is:

> git ekko master
master
master

I'm fairly new to aliases - I'm looking for a way to ensure that my arguments are consumed entirely, and not appended to the end of the alias. Some sleuthing indicates this behavior changed somewhere around Git v1.7.x, and I haven't yet determined exactly how to accomplish this:

Git Alias - Multiple Commands and Parameters

Answer 1

Your ekko2 alias is really close... What you really want is this:

[alias]
    ekko2 = !sh -c 'echo $1 && echo $1' -

Git aliases that execute shell commands do substitute the $n variables, but they also append any arguments you pass them to the end of the command. So in your first example git ekko master is equivalent to echo master && echo master master, which explains its output.

Your second example is closer, but you're passing "master" to the sh command, which is just ignoring the extra argument. By adding - to the end of the alias, you're telling sh that the arguments that follow are intended for the script sh is executing, and not for sh itself.

Answer 2

You can add a Bash noop command ":" at the end:

git config --global alias.hello-world '!echo "$1"; :'

Prints:

$ git hello-world hello world
hello world