Re: Bug: Commit fails when no global email address is set even though --author is used

From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <code@khaugsbakk.name>
Date: Feb 9, 2024, 17:38 UTC
Message-ID: <d59a0e25-81c4-4ecd-826e-ef4b23423575@app.fastmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqfry1h7ej.fsf@gitster.g>

On Fri, Feb 9, 2024, at 18:30, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 26 quoted lines

> So, now, let's be productive.  When somebody who does not know much
> about Git tries to commit without configuring anything and hits the
> error, what is a more appropriate message to guide who does not know
> what he or she does not know?
>
> The user claims that "committer identity unknown, please tell me who
> you are" were not helpful enough.  Would it make it more helpful if
> we append how to "tell who they are" after that message, perhaps
> with "git config" on user.email and user.name variables, or
> something?
>
> Or do we need three-way switch that does
>
> 	if (neither is known) {
>         	printf("neither author or committer is known");
> 	} else if (author is known but committer is not known) {
> 		printf("author is known but committer is not"):
> 	} else if (author is not known but committer is known) {
> 		printf("committer is known but author is not"):
> 	} else {
> 		return happy;
> 	}
>
> 	printf("please tell us who you are...");
>
> perhaps?

I think a three-way switch looks good. With the amendment that it steers you towards `user.*` instead of setting both `author.*` and `committer.*`.

Something like

• Author is set, not committer
  • Message: author is set but not committer: you might want to set
    *user* instead (prints suggested config)

I can try to make a patch later.

-- 
Kristoffer Haugsbakk