Re: [RFC/PATCH] Make git-{pull,rebase} no-tracking message friendlier

["Carlos Martín Nieto" <cmn@elego.de>]

On Mon, 2012-02-27 at 23:06 +0100, Matthieu Moy wrote:
> Carlos Martín Nieto <cmn@elego.de> writes:
> 
> > -		echo "You asked me to $cmd without telling me which branch you
> > -want to $op_type $op_prep, and 'branch.${branch_name#refs/heads/}.merge' in
> > -your configuration file does not tell me, either. Please
> > -specify which branch you want to use on the command line and
> > +		echo "You asked me to $cmd without telling me which branch you want to
> > +$op_type $op_prep, and there is no tracking information for the current branch.
> > +Please specify which branch you want to use on the command line and
> >  try again (e.g. '$example').
> 
> At this point, it may be better to actually give the full command
> instead of just this "(e.g. '$example')", i.e. stg like
> 
>   git $op_type <remote> $example
> 
> I also saw users confused by the message (indeed without reading it,
> but ...). Giving them something as close as possible to
> cut-and-paste-able command should help.


$example is a caller-given string which already contains the whole
command (i.e. it's already 'git rebase <upstream branch>' or 'git pull
<repository> <branch>').  In this patch I've moved that command to its
own paragraph so the usage part of the output gets more visibility.

Another version of the patch, this one somewhat more intrusive,
hopefully easier to digest.

---8<---
Subject: [PATCH] Make git-{pull,rebase} message without tracking information
 friendlier

The current message is too long and at too low a level for anybody to
understand it if they don't know about the configuration format
already.

Reformat it to show the commands a user would be expected to use,
instead of the contents of the configuration file. Use <branch>
instead of <refspec> or <upstream branch> as they're bound to consfuse
new users more than help them. Use <remote> instead of <repository> in
the pull message.
---
 git-parse-remote.sh |   26 ++++++++++----------------
 git-pull.sh         |    2 +-
 git-rebase.sh       |    2 +-
 3 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-)

diff --git a/git-parse-remote.sh b/git-parse-remote.sh
index b24119d..bcb75a0 100644
--- a/git-parse-remote.sh
+++ b/git-parse-remote.sh
@@ -66,25 +66,19 @@ line and try again (e.g. '$example').
 See git-${cmd}(1) for details."
 	else
 		echo "You asked me to $cmd without telling me which branch you
-want to $op_type $op_prep, and 'branch.${branch_name#refs/heads/}.merge' in
-your configuration file does not tell me, either. Please
-specify which branch you want to use on the command line and
-try again (e.g. '$example').
-See git-${cmd}(1) for details.
+want to $op_type $op_prep, and the current branch doesn't have
+tracking information. Please specify which branch you want to
+use on the command line and try again. See git-${cmd}(1) for details.
+
+    $example
 
 If you often $op_type $op_prep the same branch, you may want to
-use something like the following in your configuration file:
-    [branch \"${branch_name#refs/heads/}\"]
-    remote = <nickname>
-    merge = <remote-ref>"
-		test rebase = "$op_type" &&
-		echo "    rebase = true"
-		echo "
-    [remote \"<nickname>\"]
-    url = <url>
-    fetch = <refspec>
+run something like:
 
-See git-config(1) for details."
+    git remote add <remote> <url>
+    git branch --set-upstream ${branch_name#refs/heads/} <remote>/<branch>"
+		test rebase = "$op_type" &&
+		echo "    git config branch.${branch_name#refs/heads/}.rebase true"
 	fi
 	exit 1
 }
diff --git a/git-pull.sh b/git-pull.sh
index d8b64d7..309c7db 100755
--- a/git-pull.sh
+++ b/git-pull.sh
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ error_on_no_merge_candidates () {
 	elif [ -z "$curr_branch" -o -z "$upstream" ]; then
 		. git-parse-remote
 		error_on_missing_default_upstream "pull" $op_type $op_prep \
-			"git pull <repository> <refspec>"
+			"git pull <remote> <branch>"
 	else
 		echo "Your configuration specifies to $op_type $op_prep the ref '${upstream#refs/heads/}'"
 		echo "from the remote, but no such ref was fetched."
diff --git a/git-rebase.sh b/git-rebase.sh
index 00ca7b9..69c1374 100755
--- a/git-rebase.sh
+++ b/git-rebase.sh
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ then
 		then
 			. git-parse-remote
 			error_on_missing_default_upstream "rebase" "rebase" \
-				"against" "git rebase <upstream branch>"
+				"against" "git rebase <branch>"
 		fi
 		;;
 	*)	upstream_name="$1"
-- 
1.7.9.2.3.g4346f