[BUG] ProgramError: merge ... .merge_file_4CPoEQ: No such file

So, I was surprised by this display this morning.
(I swear I'm trying to help! :-)

I grabbed new (7:30 CST Dec 6) top-of-git, built and installed it.
I then "git checkout jdl" and "git pull . origin" to bring my
branch up to date.  It looked like this just before the pull
into branch "jdl":

jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git show-branch jdl master origin
* [jdl] Added documentation for few missing options.
 ! [master] git-merge-one-file: resurrect leading path creation.
  ! [origin] git-merge-one-file: resurrect leading path creation.
---
 ++ [master] git-merge-one-file: resurrect leading path creation.
 ++ [master^] Documentaiton (read-tree): update description of 3-way
 ++ [master~2] Documentation: hash-object.
 ++ [master~3] write-tree: check extra arguments and die but be a bit more helpful.
 ++ [master~4] init-db: check extra arguments and complain.
 ++ [master~5] hash-object: -- and --help
 ++ [master~6] Added documentation for few missing options.
+   [jdl] Added documentation for few missing options.
+   [jdl^] Merge branch 'origin'

+++ [master~7] git-mv to work with Perl 5.6

jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git status
# On branch refs/heads/jdl
nothing to commit

jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git pull . origin
Trying really trivial in-index merge...
fatal: Merge requires file-level merging
Nope.
Merging HEAD with be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72
Merging:
4baf91676c2462796137e93917c75f2e14ebb877 Added documentation for few missing options.
be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72 git-merge-one-file: resurrect leading path creation.
found 1 common ancestor(s):
23c99d84601316c1e51ebc1f0b9bec5cddd011fb git-mv to work with Perl 5.6
Auto-merging Documentation/git-read-tree.txt
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 868, in ?
    firstBranch, secondBranch, graph)
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 87, in merge
    branch1Name, branch2Name)
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 160, in mergeTrees
    if not processEntry(entry, branch1Name, branch2Name):
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 821, in processEntry
    branch1Name, branch2Name)
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 212, in mergeFile
    src1, orig, src2], returnCode=True)
  File "/home/jdl/share/git-core/python/gitMergeCommon.py", line 72, in runProgram
    raise ProgramError(progStr, e.strerror)
ProgramError: merge -L HEAD/Documentation/git-read-tree.txt -L orig/Documentation/git-read-tree.txt -L be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72/Documentation/git-read-tree.txt .merge_file_DamWnQ .merge_file_U9K5YP .merge_file_4CPoEQ: No such file or directory
No merge strategy handled the merge.

jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ ll Documentation/git-read-tree.txt .merge*
12 -rw-r--r--  1 jdl jdl 10464 2005-12-06 07:46 Documentation/git-read-tree.txt
12 -rw-------  1 jdl jdl 11469 2005-12-06 07:47 .merge_file_4CPoEQ
12 -rw-------  1 jdl jdl 10464 2005-12-06 07:47 .merge_file_DamWnQ
12 -rw-------  1 jdl jdl 10339 2005-12-06 07:47 .merge_file_U9K5YP


jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git status
# On branch refs/heads/jdl
#
# Updated but not checked in:
#   (will commit)
#
#       modified: Documentation/git-hash-object.txt
#       modified: git-merge-one-file.sh
#       modified: hash-object.c
#       modified: init-db.c
#       modified: write-tree.c
#
#
# Changed but not updated:
#   (use git-update-index to mark for commit)
#
#       unmerged: Documentation/git-read-tree.txt
#       modified: Documentation/git-read-tree.txt
#
#
# Untracked files:
#   (use "git add" to add to commit)
#
#       .merge_file_4CPoEQ
#       .merge_file_DamWnQ
#       .merge_file_U9K5YP

On Tue, Dec 06, 2005 at 08:03:38AM -0600, Jon Loeliger wrote:

jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git pull . origin
Trying really trivial in-index merge...
fatal: Merge requires file-level merging
Nope.
Merging HEAD with be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72
Merging:
4baf91676c2462796137e93917c75f2e14ebb877 Added documentation for few missing options.
be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72 git-merge-one-file: resurrect leading path creation.
found 1 common ancestor(s):
23c99d84601316c1e51ebc1f0b9bec5cddd011fb git-mv to work with Perl 5.6
Auto-merging Documentation/git-read-tree.txt
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 868, in ?
    firstBranch, secondBranch, graph)
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 87, in merge
    branch1Name, branch2Name)
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 160, in mergeTrees
    if not processEntry(entry, branch1Name, branch2Name):
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 821, in processEntry
    branch1Name, branch2Name)
  File "/home/jdl/bin/git-merge-recursive", line 212, in mergeFile
    src1, orig, src2], returnCode=True)
  File "/home/jdl/share/git-core/python/gitMergeCommon.py", line 72, in runProgram
    raise ProgramError(progStr, e.strerror)
ProgramError: merge -L HEAD/Documentation/git-read-tree.txt -L orig/Documentation/git-read-tree.txt -L be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72/Documentation/git-read-tree.txt .merge_file_DamWnQ .merge_file_U9K5YP .merge_file_4CPoEQ: No such file or directory
No merge strategy handled the merge.

It seems that changes has been committed to
Documentation/git-read-tree.txt in both the jdl branch and in
origin. This shouldn't cause any problems but git-merge-recursive
(which currently is the default merge strategy) uses merge(1) to do
the file-level merging and it seems like merge(1) can't be found on
your system.

Do you have merge(1) installed? More appropriately, is merge in your
path? If it isn't installed it can usually be found in the rcs package
in your distribution.


- Fredrik

It seems that changes has been committed to
Documentation/git-read-tree.txt in both the jdl branch and in
origin.

Yes.

This shouldn't cause any problems but git-merge-recursive
(which currently is the default merge strategy) uses merge(1) to do
the file-level merging and it seems like merge(1) can't be found on
your system.

Do you have merge(1) installed? More appropriately, is merge in your
path? If it isn't installed it can usually be found in the rcs package
in your distribution.

Oh wow.  Exactly correct.

Here's Jon building up the new Ubuntu box, and thinking, "I'll
be using git, so I don't need to install RCS or CVS anymore." :-)

After installing RCS, here's what we get:

    jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git reset --hard jdl
    jdl@ubuntu:/usr/src/git-core$ git pull . origin
    Trying really trivial in-index merge...
    fatal: Merge requires file-level merging
    Nope.
    Merging HEAD with be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72
    Merging:
    4baf91676c2462796137e93917c75f2e14ebb877 Added documentation for few missing options.
    be61db922a230ae2638c27c071ee4b8c98f01f72 git-merge-one-file: resurrect leading path creation.
    found 1 common ancestor(s):
    23c99d84601316c1e51ebc1f0b9bec5cddd011fb git-mv to work with Perl 5.6
    Auto-merging Documentation/git-read-tree.txt
    CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in Documentation/git-read-tree.txt

    Automatic merge failed/prevented; fix up by hand


Thanks!
jdl