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[PATCH] checkout: indicate when a detached head is checked out for a branch

From
Michael J Gruber <git@drmicha.warpmail.net>
Date
Jul 18, 2014, 09:50 UTC
Message-ID
<35dbe7e3f3e4566d775bea19d816adc44db8ed5c.1405676303.git.git@drmicha.warpmail.net>

In a setup with more than 1 workdir, it can happen that a user requests to checkout a branch that is already checked out somewhere else. The current "hint" about this gives the impression that it is merely warning about this fact.

Actually, "checkout" changes its behavior in such a situation from checking out the requested branch to checking out its head as a detached head. The only indication is the usual checkout message which appears before the hint.

Change the hint to make it clearer that checkout changed its behavior to something that is possible to do in that situation, but may or may not be what the user intended.

Signed-off-by: Michael J Gruber <git@drmicha.warpmail.net>
---
I really like the new --to feature and will convert all my "new workdir"
checkouts to that. But that detached checkout is so easy to miss - in fact
I noticed it only when I compared "new-workdir" to "checkout --to" for a
test repo with one branch, to see what a converter would need to do.

I'm even wondering whether we should do this DWIMmery at all, given how "dangerous" a detached head is for those who are not aware of it before gc kicks in.

(Sorry if that dupes something on the list, can't keep up these days; so this is coming from a "mere user" ;-)

 builtin/checkout.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/builtin/checkout.c b/builtin/checkout.c
index cfc6db7..38a5670 100644
--- a/builtin/checkout.c
+++ b/builtin/checkout.c
@@ -645,9 +645,9 @@ static void update_refs_for_switch(const struct checkout_opts *opts,
 				detach_advice(new->name);
 			describe_detached_head(_("HEAD is now at"), new->commit);
 			if (new->checkout && !*new->checkout)
-				fprintf(stderr, _("hint: the main checkout is holding this branch\n"));
+				fprintf(stderr, _("hint: the main checkout is holding this branch; detaching branch head instead.\n"));
 			else if (new->checkout)
-				fprintf(stderr, _("hint: the linked checkout %s is holding this branch\n"),
+				fprintf(stderr, _("hint: the linked checkout %s is holding this branch; detaching branch head instead.\n"),
 					new->checkout);
 		}
 	} else if (new->path) {	/* Switch branches. */
-- 
2.0.1.583.gbe96573
Next: Duy Nguyen
Message 1 of 8 in “checkout: indicate when a detached head is checked out for a branch”
  1. checkout: indicate when a detached head is checked out for a branchMichael J Gruber, Jul 18, 2014
  2. Duy NguyenJul 18, 2014
  3. Michael J GruberJul 18, 2014
  4. Max KirillovJul 18, 2014
  5. Junio C HamanoJul 18, 2014
  6. Dennis KaarsemakerJul 18, 2014
  7. Junio C HamanoJul 18, 2014
  8. Michael J GruberJul 21, 2014

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