Re: [PATCH 0/3] Somebody updated my branch tip underneath me.

From: Sergio Callegari <scallegari@arces.unibo.it>
Date: Mar 29, 2007, 11:55 UTC
Message-ID: <loom.20070329T133700-713@post.gmane.org>
In-Reply-To: <7vslbo4fwx.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

Junio C Hamano <junkio <at> cox.net> writes:

Show 20 quoted lines

> 
> With this series, I am taking hints from Linus and trying to
> illustrate a problem, show an approach to its solution and code
> minimally to get others interested enough to follow through.
> 
> [PATCH 1/3] Add BASE index extension.
> [PATCH 2/3] update-index --{set,get}-base
> [PATCH 3/3] Use BASE index extension in git-commit and git-merge.
> 
> The problem description and the strategy to solve it are in the
> commit log message of [PATCH 3/3].  There I only talk about
> git-push from elsewhere while we are looking the other way, but
> the same situation can also happen when you use a lightweight
> shared working tree (i.e. Julian phillips's git-new-workdir) and
> make a commit on a branch in one working tree while the other
> working tree has a checkout of the same branch.
> 
> Let's see who are motivated enough to bite.
> 
>

This seems very nice, not just because of under-the-hood pushes, but also wrt the contrib/workdir thing: good to solve two slightly different problems in a single consistent way.

Just a minor question:

From, your comments to patch 3/3 it looks like when a "commit" or "status" (or whatever command) catches the mismatch in the head from the index-commit, it only exits with a notice. And you also mention that recovery then happens via head detaching (that in your example is done manually)...

If (as I am guessing) head detaching is the /only/ possible path to recovery, wouldn't it make sense to do it automatically, storing somewhere the latest branch one was on (e.g. to be used for subsequent merge)?

Also, in general: whenever head gets detached (e.g. by a checkout) would it make sense to "by default" store somewhere the previous branch name? (e.g. to gain a shorthand command to get back to the former branch)?

Thanks,

Sergio