Re: [PATCH 2/3] checkout.txt: document a common case that ignores ambiguation rules

Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy  [off-list ref] writes:

Normally we err on the safe side: if something can be seen as both an
SHA1 and a pathspec, we stop and scream. In checkout, there is one
exception added in 859fdab (git-checkout: improve error messages, detect
ambiguities. - 2008-07-23), to allow the common case "git checkout
branch". Let's document this exception.

Good idea, but...

+ARGUMENT AMBIGUATION
+--------------------
+
+When there is only one argument given and it is not `--` (e.g. "git
+checkout abc"), "abc" could be seen as either a `<tree-ish>` or a
+`<pathspec>`, but Git will assume the argument is a `<tree-ish>`, which is
+a common case for switching branches. Use `git checkout -- <pathspec>`
+form if you mean it to be a pathspec.

... this is far from reasonable.  I'd read "but Git will assume the
argument is a tree-ish" to mean "git checkout Makefile" would
attempt to checkout the Makefile branch and fail.

    When there is only one argument given and it is not `--` (e.g. "git
    checkout abc"), and when the argument is both a valid `<tree-ish>`
    (e.g. a branch "abc" exists) and a valid `<pathspec>` (e.g. a file
    or a directory whose name is "abc" exists), Git would usually ask
    you to disambiguate.  Because checking out a branch is so common an
    operation, however, "git checkout abc" takes "abc" as a `<tree-ish>`
    in such situation.  Use `git checkout -- <pathspec>` if you want to
    checkout these paths out of the index.

or something like that?