doc: document (tersely) the intended behaviour of relative paths.

[notmuch] / doc / man1 / notmuch-config.rst

diff --git a/doc/man1/notmuch-config.rst b/doc/man1/notmuch-config.rst
index bc597957f7bb93d5f2521303470fccc8b84a90df..b158dac3c85884dd5cbdc310edac449e72654bc0 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/man1/notmuch-config.rst
+++ b/doc/man1/notmuch-config.rst
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 
 **notmuch** **config** **get** <*section*>.<*item*>
 
-**notmuch** **config** **set** <*section*>.<*item*> [*value* ...]
+**notmuch** **config** **set** [--database] <*section*>.<*item*> [*value* ...]
 
 **notmuch** **config** **list**
 
@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ configuration file and corresponding database.
     If no values are provided, the specified configuration item will
     be removed from the configuration file.
 
+    With the `--database` option, updates configuration metadata
+    stored in the database, rather than the default (text)
+    configuration file.
+
 **list**
     Every configuration item is printed to stdout, each on a separate
     line of the form::
@@ -40,15 +44,26 @@ configuration file and corresponding database.
     characters. In a multiple-value item (a list), the values are
     separated by semicolon characters.
 
-The available configuration items are described below.
+The available configuration items are described below. Non-absolute
+paths are presumed relative to `$HOME` for items in section
+**database**.
 
 **database.path**
+    Notmuch will store its database here, (in
+    sub-directory named ``.notmuch`` if **database.mail\_root**
+    is unset).
+
+    Default: ``$MAILDIR`` variable if set, otherwise ``$HOME/mail``.
+
+**database.mail_root**
     The top-level directory where your mail currently exists and to
     where mail will be delivered in the future. Files should be
-    individual email messages. Notmuch will store its database within
-    a sub-directory of the path configured here named ``.notmuch``.
+    individual email messages.
 
-    Default: ``$MAILDIR`` variable if set, otherwise ``$HOME/mail``.
+    History: this configuration value was introduced in notmuch 0.32.
+
+    Default: For compatibility with older configurations, the value of
+    database.path is used if **database.mail\_root** is unset.
 
 **database.hook_dir**