Re: Running 'git pull' from an unnamed branch

2009/4/5 Björn Steinbrink [off-list ref]:

On 2009.04.05 22:33:57 +0100, Reece Dunn wrote:

quoted

Running `git checkout master && git pull` fixed the above issue. The
patch below improves the error message for users that are in this
state.

It doesn't "fix" anything, you're simply doing something different.

"git pull" while on a detached HEAD can't work, there are no defaults
that could be used. But e.g. "git pull origin master" would do, fetching
"master" from "origin" and merging it to the commit you have checked
out.

Sure.

Your "git checkout master && git pull" does something else. It uses the
configured pull defaults for "master" to fetch something and merge it to
"master".

The two cases depend on if you want to stay with the detached HEAD or not.

quoted

Also, is "branch..remote" valid? Should this be "branch.remote"?

That's a bug, but it should not be branch.remote. The config setting is
branch.<name>.remote. As you were on a detached HEAD, there is no
"<name>", and the code that generates the error message doesn't handle
that correctly. I'd even say that in this case, the whole "If you often
merge ..." part makes no sense at all, you simply can't setup pull
defaults for a detached HEAD.

Yup. In my revised patch, I have it displaying a different message
(the one I added) instead of the default one you get at the moment.

quoted

+     echo "You may not be on a branch. In this case, you need to move"
+     echo "onto the branch you want to pull to (usually master):"

Hm? Neither do you really need to move to a branch, nor is "master"
really _that_ special that it is warranted to recommend checking it
out... IMHO.

I said "usually master" to give a hint to the casual/newbie user. The
exact wording that is outputted in this case can be figured out. It
can also mention the case you highlighted.

- Reece