# Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" 6 messages from 2009-11-08 to 2009-11-08. Participants: Kate Ebneter, Sverre Rabbelier, Björn Steinbrink, Jeff King. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/21540 ## Kate Ebneter, 2009-11-08 22:11 Subject: Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/C71C822C.22429%25kate%40ning.com ``` Hi, folks, I ran into a weird situation while working on a script, which is best described with a little snippet from my gitosis-admin repository: $ git branch * master $ branch=$(git branch) $ echo $branch gitosis.conf keydir master That is, if you run 'git branch' inside $() or ``, it lists the directories, too. I can't imagine that this is intended behavior, but perhaps I'm wrong. I can reproduce this on CentOS, Ubuntu, Solaris, and Mac OS X using git 1.6.2.3, 1.6.3.2, 1.6.3.3, 1.6.4.2, and 1.6.5.2. (In the end, I figured out a better way to write my script anyway, but this is just too weird not to ask about.) Thanks, Kate Ebneter Somewhat befuddled build engineer ``` ## Sverre Rabbelier, 2009-11-08 22:46 Subject: Re: Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/fabb9a1e0911081446o7793eef1kcbad964c9a73edda%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` Heya On Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 23:11, Kate Ebneter wrote: > That is, if you run 'git branch' inside $() or ``, it lists the directories, > too. I can't imagine that this is intended behavior, but perhaps I'm wrong. Try enclosing it in quotes ;). That is, compare: $ echo "`git branch`" with $ echo `git branch` The kicker is that there's a * in the output of git branch, which your shell helpfully substitutes with the contents of your current directory :). -- Cheers, Sverre Rabbelier ``` ## Björn Steinbrink, 2009-11-08 22:49 Subject: Re: Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" Message-ID: <20091108224955.GA14095@atjola.homenet> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20091108224955.GA14095%40atjola.homenet In-Reply-To: ``` On 2009.11.08 14:11:56 -0800, Kate Ebneter wrote: > Hi, folks, > > I ran into a weird situation while working on a script, which is best > described with a little snippet from my gitosis-admin repository: > > $ git branch > * master ^^^ > $ branch=$(git branch) > $ echo $branch > gitosis.conf keydir master Your shell expands the *, thus echo sees all the things in the current directory. Use 'echo "$branch"' and you'll see what you expected. Björn ``` ## Kate Ebneter, 2009-11-08 22:50 Subject: Re: Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/C71C8B2A.22436%25kate%40ning.com In-Reply-To: ``` On 11/8/09 2:46 PM, "Sverre Rabbelier" wrote: > Heya > > On Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 23:11, Kate Ebneter wrote: >> That is, if you run 'git branch' inside $() or ``, it lists the directories, >> too. I can't imagine that this is intended behavior, but perhaps I'm wrong. > > Try enclosing it in quotes ;). > > That is, compare: > $ echo "`git branch`" > with > $ echo `git branch` > > The kicker is that there's a * in the output of git branch, which your > shell helpfully substitutes with the contents of your current > directory :). *head desk* You know, I spent hours last night trying to figure that out. So simple. Duh. Thanks for pointing that out -- I knew it had to be something simple, but sometimes you just can't see the forest for the trees! :-) Thanks again, Kate Ebneter ``` ## Jeff King, 2009-11-08 23:03 Subject: Re: Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" Message-ID: <20091108230300.GB17129@coredump.intra.peff.net> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20091108230300.GB17129%40coredump.intra.peff.net In-Reply-To: <20091108224955.GA14095@atjola.homenet> ``` On Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 11:49:55PM +0100, Björn Steinbrink wrote: > > I ran into a weird situation while working on a script, which is best > > described with a little snippet from my gitosis-admin repository: > > > > $ git branch > > * master > ^^^ > > > $ branch=$(git branch) > > $ echo $branch > > gitosis.conf keydir master > > Your shell expands the *, thus echo sees all the things in the current > directory. Use 'echo "$branch"' and you'll see what you expected. And more to the point, this is just one reason why one should use for-each-ref when scripting (the other is that git-branch's output is considered porcelain, and is not guaranteed to remain stable). E.g.: git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short)' refs/heads/ would produce the output the original poster wanted. -Peff ``` ## Kate Ebneter, 2009-11-08 23:10 Subject: Re: Strange behavior (possible bug) using bash command subsitution with "git branch" Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/C71C8FD5.2243E%25kate%40ning.com In-Reply-To: <20091108230300.GB17129@coredump.intra.peff.net> ``` On 11/8/09 3:03 PM, "Jeff King" wrote: > On Sun, Nov 08, 2009 at 11:49:55PM +0100, Björn Steinbrink wrote: > >>> I ran into a weird situation while working on a script, which is best >>> described with a little snippet from my gitosis-admin repository: >>> >>> $ git branch >>> * master >> ^^^ >> >>> $ branch=$(git branch) >>> $ echo $branch >>> gitosis.conf keydir master >> >> Your shell expands the *, thus echo sees all the things in the current >> directory. Use 'echo "$branch"' and you'll see what you expected. > > And more to the point, this is just one reason why one should use > for-each-ref when scripting (the other is that git-branch's output is > considered porcelain, and is not guaranteed to remain stable). E.g.: > > git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short)' refs/heads/ > > would produce the output the original poster wanted. Ah, sweet, I did not know about that. I ended up doing something entirely different (short form: my original idea about what I wanted to do was wrong) but that's very helpful for the future. Thanks, Kate Ebneter (who is gradually learning more and more about git) ```