git - Can gitconfig options be set conditionally?

Question

Via Github I use the same set of "dot files" on several different computers and servers. On the Macs and Linux boxes under my direct control I have Sublime Text 2 installed and set up as my git merge and commit editor of choice. However, on remote (i.e., not under my direct control) servers I would select to use vim.

I would rather not create and maintain a second .gitconfig for those remote servers. Is there a way to do something like this:

[core]
    if [[ $IS_REMOTE -eq 1 ]]; then
        editor = "vim"
    else
        editor = "subl -n -w"
    fi

where I've somehow set $IS_REMOTE based on the hostname?

Answer 1

No, Git config does not support checks or conditional statements. But your underlying shell probably does, so you can use something like:

[core]
    editor = "if [[ $IS_REMOTE -eq 1 ]]; then ED='vim'; else ED='subl -n -w'; fi; $ED"

If you need to do something more complicated than that, you could just throw the shell code into a script, of course, like

[core]
    editor = "my_edi_script.sh"

with my_edit_script.sh containing something like:

#!/bin/bash
if [[ $IS_REMOTE -eq 1 ]]; then
    ED="vim"
else
    ED="subl -n -w"
fi

$ED some argument or other

Edit: The my_edit_script.sh would have to be in the $PATH, of course :)