docs: add author date / committer date entries to glossary#9515
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mvanhorn wants to merge 1 commit into
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docs: add author date / committer date entries to glossary#9515mvanhorn wants to merge 1 commit into
mvanhorn wants to merge 1 commit into
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jj-vcs#9469 asked for explicit glossary entries explaining the difference between author date and committer date so the jj docs aren't relying on the reader's Git background. Adds two glossary entries and a short cross-reference from revsets.md. Fixes jj-vcs#9469
josephlou5
reviewed
May 16, 2026
| a [tree object](#tree)), together with some metadata. The metadata includes the | ||
| author, the date, and pointers to the commit's parents. Through the pointers to | ||
| the parents, the commits form a | ||
| author, the [author date](#author-date), the |
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Small nit: Since "author" is also mentioned here, maybe also add "committer" to the list? It's a little strange to list "committer date" without the committer.
| ## Committer date | ||
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| The committer date of a [commit](#commit) records when that particular commit | ||
| object was created. It is set for a new commit and updated whenever `jj` rewrites |
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Nit: You linked "rewrites" in the "Author date" section, so link it here too.
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Summary
Adds glossary entries for "author date" and "committer date", plus a one-line cross-reference from
revsets.mdwhere these terms first show up. #9469 flagged that the docs assume the reader knows the Git distinction; this fills the gap without restructuring anything.Why this matters
The difference matters for jj specifically because rebase / squash / abandon all preserve author date while committer date floats forward, and revset filters and templates that surface "committer_date" surprise users who expected "the date the commit was created."
Changes
docs/glossary.md- addauthor dateandcommitter dateentries with the jj-specific behavior callouts.docs/revsets.md- link to the new glossary entries from the first mention of these terms.Testing
Docs-only change. No code paths affected.
CLA
Google CLA required. I'll sign on the PR.
Fixes #9469