Re: Confusing git pull error message

From

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

Date

Sep 13, 2009, 21:16 UTC

Message-ID

<7v7hw2pmtk.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>

In-Reply-To

<20090913204231.GA8654@coredump.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> On Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 01:38:48PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:
>
>> I saw some discussion on improving the wording.  Here is what I plan to
>> commit.
>
> Thanks for picking this up, I meant to re-post with improvements.

An observation I'd like to make is that this is way too ugly:

	[advice]
        	pullNoMergeFound = false
                pushNonFastForward = false
                statusHints = false

than

	[IKnowWhatIAmDoingThankYouVeryMuch]
        	pullNoMergeFound
                pushNonFastForward
                statusHints

 git-pull.sh |   78 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------
 1 files changed, 54 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-)

diff --git a/git-pull.sh b/git-pull.sh
index 0bbd5bf..101545e 100755
--- a/git-pull.sh
+++ b/git-pull.sh
@@ -76,14 +76,64 @@ do
 	shift
 done
 
+advice_tags_only () {
+	if test -z "$1"
+	then
+		echo "Fetching tags only."
+		return
+	fi
+	echo "Fetching tags only, you probably meant:"
+	echo "  git fetch --tags"
+}
+
+advice_detached_head () {
+	if test -z "$1"
+	then
+		echo "No default merge candidate on a detached HEAD."
+		return
+	fi
+	echo "You are not currently on a branch, so I cannot use any"
+	echo "'branch.<branchname>.merge' in your configuration file."
+	echo "Please specify which branch you want to merge on the command"
+	echo "line and try again (e.g. 'git pull <repository> <refspec>')."
+	echo "See git-pull(1) for details."
+}
+
+advice_no_merge_candidates () {
+	if test -z "$1"
+	then
+		echo "No merge candidate for the current branch fetched."
+		return
+	fi
+	cat <<EOF
+You asked me to pull without telling me which branch you
+want to merge with, and 'branch.$2.merge' in
+your configuration file does not tell me either.  Please
+specify which branch you want to merge on the command line and
+try again (e.g. 'git pull <repository> <refspec>').
+See git-pull(1) for details.
+
+If you often merge with the same branch, you may want to
+configure the following variables in your configuration
+file:
+
+    branch.$2.remote = <nickname>
+    branch.$2.merge = <remote-ref>
+    remote.<nickname>.url = <url>"
+    remote.<nickname>.fetch = <refspec>
+
+See git-config(1) for details.
+EOF
+}
+
 error_on_no_merge_candidates () {
 	exec >&2
+	advice=$(git config --bool advice.pullNoMergeFound)
 	for opt
 	do
 		case "$opt" in
 		-t|--t|--ta|--tag|--tags)
-			echo "Fetching tags only, you probably meant:"
-			echo "  git fetch --tags"
+			advice_tags_only "$advice"
 			exit 1
 		esac
 	done
@@ -91,29 +141,9 @@ error_on_no_merge_candidates () {
 	curr_branch=${curr_branch#refs/heads/}
 
 	if [ -z "$curr_branch" ]; then
-		echo "You are not currently on a branch, so I cannot use any"
-		echo "'branch.<branchname>.merge' in your configuration file."
-		echo "Please specify which branch you want to merge on the command"
-		echo "line and try again (e.g. 'git pull <repository> <refspec>')."
-		echo "See git-pull(1) for details."
+		advice_detached_head "$advice"
 	else
-		echo "You asked me to pull without telling me which branch you"
-		echo "want to merge with, and 'branch.${curr_branch}.merge' in"
-		echo "your configuration file does not tell me either.	Please"
-		echo "specify which branch you want to merge on the command line and"
-		echo "try again (e.g. 'git pull <repository> <refspec>')."
-		echo "See git-pull(1) for details."
-		echo
-		echo "If you often merge with the same branch, you may want to"
-		echo "configure the following variables in your configuration"
-		echo "file:"
-		echo
-		echo "    branch.${curr_branch}.remote = <nickname>"
-		echo "    branch.${curr_branch}.merge = <remote-ref>"
-		echo "    remote.<nickname>.url = <url>"
-		echo "    remote.<nickname>.fetch = <refspec>"
-		echo
-		echo "See git-config(1) for details."
+		advice_no_merge_candidate "$advice" "$curr_branch"
 	fi
 	exit 1
 }