# Trouble building newer git with older 3 messages from 2006-08-08 to 2006-08-08. Participants: Nishanth Aravamudan, Junio C Hamano. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/5176 ## Nishanth Aravamudan, 2006-08-08 18:47 Subject: Trouble building newer git with older Message-ID: <20060808184716.GC4546@us.ibm.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20060808184716.GC4546%40us.ibm.com ``` Hi all, I am in the process of updating one of our system's set of git binaries and noticed the following. When executing git clone rsync://rsync.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git git cd git git checkout make I get this error: kernel:/home/nacc/download/git# make GIT_VERSION = Usage: git COMMAND [OPTIONS] [TARGET] git command 'describe' not found: commands are: add apply archimport bisect branch checkout cherry clone commit count.objects cvsimport diff fetch format.patch fsck.cache get.tar.commit.id init.db log ls.remote octopus pack.objects parse.remote patch.id prune pull push rebase relink rename repack request.pull reset resolve revert send.email shortlog show.branch status tag verify.tag whatchanged-dirty GIT-VERSION-FILE:2: *** multiple target patterns. Stop. This is because GIT-VERSION-GEN attempts to invoke `git describe` but describe is not a valid parameter to the current version of git. This is not treated as a failure case, though, as output is stored in VN. Perhaps the return code of `git describe` should also be checked? Or am I just not supposed to upgrade from this old of a version of git via git? Thanks, Nish -- Nishanth Aravamudan IBM Linux Technology Center ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2006-08-08 20:11 Subject: Re: Trouble building newer git with older Message-ID: <7v7j1jvvh7.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7v7j1jvvh7.fsf%40assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net In-Reply-To: <20060808184716.GC4546@us.ibm.com> ``` Nishanth Aravamudan writes: > This is because GIT-VERSION-GEN attempts to invoke `git describe` but > describe is not a valid parameter to the current version of git. This is > not treated as a failure case, though, as output is stored in VN. > Perhaps the return code of `git describe` should also be checked? Or am > I just not supposed to upgrade from this old of a version of git via > git? No, it was broken when this patch was applied. commit 1100ac81a90b03e0c037a286569a340decf7489b Author: Sean Date: Mon May 22 00:39:52 2006 -0400 Luckily, my copy of GNU interactive tools, when invoked like this: git describe --abbrev=4 HEAD 2>/dev/null exits with an error code 1, so the existing code already catches it. How about this patch? -- >8 -- GIT-VERSION-GEN: adjust for ancient git When an ancient "git" that does not understand "describe" command is on the $PATH, "git describe" emitted a Usage message without exiting non-zero status (which is a mistake we cannot fix retroactively). Catch this case to make sure we do not try using phoney multi-line string as a version number. Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano --- diff --git a/GIT-VERSION-GEN b/GIT-VERSION-GEN index 1ce217d..14923c9 100755 --- a/GIT-VERSION-GEN +++ b/GIT-VERSION-GEN @@ -3,9 +3,17 @@ #!/bin/sh GVF=GIT-VERSION-FILE DEF_VER=v1.4.2.GIT +LF=' +' + # First try git-describe, then see if there is a version file # (included in release tarballs), then default -if VN=$(git describe --abbrev=4 HEAD 2>/dev/null); then +if VN=$(git describe --abbrev=4 HEAD 2>/dev/null) && + case "$VN" in + *$LF*) (exit 1) ;; + v[0-9]*) : happy ;; + esac +then VN=$(echo "$VN" | sed -e 's/-/./g'); elif test -f version then ``` ## Nishanth Aravamudan, 2006-08-08 22:52 Subject: Re: Trouble building newer git with older Message-ID: <20060808225225.GA5906@us.ibm.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20060808225225.GA5906%40us.ibm.com In-Reply-To: <7v7j1jvvh7.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net> ``` On 08.08.2006 [13:11:16 -0700], Junio C Hamano wrote: > Nishanth Aravamudan writes: > > > This is because GIT-VERSION-GEN attempts to invoke `git describe` but > > describe is not a valid parameter to the current version of git. This is > > not treated as a failure case, though, as output is stored in VN. > > Perhaps the return code of `git describe` should also be checked? Or am > > I just not supposed to upgrade from this old of a version of git via > > git? > > No, it was broken when this patch was applied. > > commit 1100ac81a90b03e0c037a286569a340decf7489b > Author: Sean > Date: Mon May 22 00:39:52 2006 -0400 > > Luckily, my copy of GNU interactive tools, when invoked like this: > > git describe --abbrev=4 HEAD 2>/dev/null > > exits with an error code 1, so the existing code already catches it. > > How about this patch? > > -- >8 -- > GIT-VERSION-GEN: adjust for ancient git > > When an ancient "git" that does not understand "describe" > command is on the $PATH, "git describe" emitted a Usage message > without exiting non-zero status (which is a mistake we cannot > fix retroactively). Catch this case to make sure we do not try > using phoney multi-line string as a version number. > > Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano Looks good to me and I can confirm this fixes the problem here. Acked-by: Nishanth Aravamudan Thanks, Nish ```