# pitfall with empty commits during git rebase

3 messages from 2014-07-11 to 2014-07-11. Participants: Olaf Hering, Keller, Jacob E, Jeff King.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/37111

## Olaf Hering, 2014-07-11 10:15

Subject: pitfall with empty commits during git rebase
Message-ID: <20140711101547.GA26050@aepfle.de>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20140711101547.GA26050%40aepfle.de

```

There is an incorrect message when doing "git rebase -i remote/branch".
I have it only in german, see below. what happend is:

#01 make changes on another host
#02 copy patchfile to localhost
#03 apply patchfile
#04 git commit -avs # create commit#1
#05 sleep 123456
#06 make different changes on another host
#07 copy patchfile to localhost
#08 git show | patch -Rp1
#09 git commit -avs # create commit#2
#10 apply patchfile
#11 git commit -avs # create commit#3
#12 git rebase -i remote/branch
     pick commit#1 msg
     f    commit#2 msg
     f    commit#3 msg

....
".git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo" 21L, 707C geschrieben
Sie fragten den jüngsten Commit nachzubessern, aber das würde diesen leer
machen. Sie können Ihr Kommando mit --allow-empty wiederholen, oder diesen
Commit mit "git reset HEAD^" vollständig entfernen.
Rebase im Gange; auf c105589
Sie sind gerade beim Rebase von Branch 'mybranch' auf 'c105589'.

Keine Änderungen

Could not apply 6c5842320acc797d395afb5cdf373c2bfaebfa34... revert
....

Its not clear what '--allow-empty' refers to, git rebase does not seem to
understand this option.

I should have skipped step #09 to avoid the trouble.
git version is 2.0.1. Please adjust the error msg above.


Olaf

```

## Keller, Jacob E, 2014-07-11 17:58

Subject: Re: pitfall with empty commits during git rebase
Message-ID: <1405101528.22963.26.camel@jekeller-desk1.amr.corp.intel.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1405101528.22963.26.camel%40jekeller-desk1.amr.corp.intel.com
In-Reply-To: <20140711101547.GA26050@aepfle.de>

```
On Fri, 2014-07-11 at 12:15 +0200, Olaf Hering wrote:
> There is an incorrect message when doing "git rebase -i remote/branch".
> I have it only in german, see below. what happend is:
> 
> #01 make changes on another host
> #02 copy patchfile to localhost
> #03 apply patchfile
> #04 git commit -avs # create commit#1
> #05 sleep 123456
> #06 make different changes on another host
> #07 copy patchfile to localhost
> #08 git show | patch -Rp1
> #09 git commit -avs # create commit#2
> #10 apply patchfile
> #11 git commit -avs # create commit#3
> #12 git rebase -i remote/branch
>      pick commit#1 msg
>      f    commit#2 msg
>      f    commit#3 msg
> 
> ....
> ".git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo" 21L, 707C geschrieben
> Sie fragten den jüngsten Commit nachzubessern, aber das würde diesen leer
> machen. Sie können Ihr Kommando mit --allow-empty wiederholen, oder diesen
> Commit mit "git reset HEAD^" vollständig entfernen.
> Rebase im Gange; auf c105589
> Sie sind gerade beim Rebase von Branch 'mybranch' auf 'c105589'.
> 
> Keine Änderungen
> 
> Could not apply 6c5842320acc797d395afb5cdf373c2bfaebfa34... revert
> ....
> 
> Its not clear what '--allow-empty' refers to, git rebase does not seem to
> understand this option.
> 

You should be able to fix this with

git commit --allow-empty
git rebase --continue

But yes the message could possibly be made a little clearer.

Thanks,
Jake

> I should have skipped step #09 to avoid the trouble.
> git version is 2.0.1. Please adjust the error msg above.
> 
> 
> Olaf
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```

## Jeff King, 2014-07-11 18:25

Subject: Re: pitfall with empty commits during git rebase
Message-ID: <20140711182531.GG7856@sigill.intra.peff.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20140711182531.GG7856%40sigill.intra.peff.net
In-Reply-To: <20140711101547.GA26050@aepfle.de>

```
On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 12:15:47PM +0200, Olaf Hering wrote:

> Could not apply 6c5842320acc797d395afb5cdf373c2bfaebfa34... revert
> ....
> 
> Its not clear what '--allow-empty' refers to, git rebase does not seem to
> understand this option.

I think this is the same problem discussed recently in:

  http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/251365

-Peff

```