threads / discuss / 26443

Git describe finding wrong tag

Subject: Git describe finding wrong tag

## tl;dr

3 messages between Feb 8, 2011 and Feb 8, 2011.

replies: 2people: 2as markdown or json

Kevin Ballard· Feb 8, 2011, 04:46 UTC · lore

I just encountered an odd situation where `git describe` insists on finding the wrong tag. In my case, I tagged a branch, then merged it into another branch, and now `git describe` in that other branch decides that it should emit a tag name that's over 200 commits old rather than the one that's a single commit away.

% git --version git version 1.7.4.31.g3f8c4 % git describe build_1.2.2_applestore_1-203-g742967b % git describe HEAD^2 build_1.2.2

Is there any rational for why git-describe is opting for the much older commit?

-Kevin Ballard

Johannes Sixt· Feb 8, 2011, 07:19 UTC · re: Kevin Ballard · lore

Re: Git describe finding wrong tag

Am 2/8/2011 5:46, schrieb Kevin Ballard:

Show 15 quoted lines

> I just encountered an odd situation where `git describe` insists on finding the
> wrong tag. In my case, I tagged a branch, then merged it into another branch,
> and now `git describe` in that other branch decides that it should emit a tag
> name that's over 200 commits old rather than the one that's a single commit
> away.
> 
> % git --version
> git version 1.7.4.31.g3f8c4
> % git describe
> build_1.2.2_applestore_1-203-g742967b
> % git describe HEAD^2
> build_1.2.2
> 
> Is there any rational for why git-describe is opting for the much older
> commit?

Most likely, the situation outlined in this commit message applies to your case:

http://git.kernel.org/?p=git/git.git;a=commit;h=80dbae03

Then what you observe is by design.

-- Hannes

Kevin Ballard· Feb 8, 2011, 07:23 UTC · re: Johannes Sixt · lore

Re: Git describe finding wrong tag

On Feb 7, 2011, at 11:19 PM, Johannes Sixt wrote:

Show 23 quoted lines

> Am 2/8/2011 5:46, schrieb Kevin Ballard:
>> I just encountered an odd situation where `git describe` insists on finding the
>> wrong tag. In my case, I tagged a branch, then merged it into another branch,
>> and now `git describe` in that other branch decides that it should emit a tag
>> name that's over 200 commits old rather than the one that's a single commit
>> away.
>> 
>> % git --version
>> git version 1.7.4.31.g3f8c4
>> % git describe
>> build_1.2.2_applestore_1-203-g742967b
>> % git describe HEAD^2
>> build_1.2.2
>> 
>> Is there any rational for why git-describe is opting for the much older
>> commit?
> 
> Most likely, the situation outlined in this commit message applies to your
> case:
> 
> http://git.kernel.org/?p=git/git.git;a=commit;h=80dbae03
> 
> Then what you observe is by design.

You are right, that does explain it. It feels rather odd that I can merge in a tagged commit and have `git describe` not then use that tag, but I suppose the new behavior makes sense.

Thanks for the explanation.

-Kevin Ballard