Re: [RFC] improving advice message from "git commit" during a merge

[Jeff King <peff@peff.net>]

On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 11:23:08AM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> When there are unmerged paths, you would often get something like
> this:
> 
>     [git.git (pu|MERGING]$ git commit
>     U       copy.c
>     U       wrapper.c
>     error: commit is not possible because you have unmerged files.
>     hint: Fix them up in the work tree, and then use 'git add/rm <file>'
>     hint: as appropriate to mark resolution and make a commit, or use
>     hint: 'git commit -a'.
>     fatal: Exiting because of an unresolved conflict.
> 
> which is all good and correct, but I am wondering if we can be a bit
> more helpful by customizing the message in various ways.
> 
>  - When all the unmerged paths have their conflicts resolved in the
>    working tree, we do not have to say "Fix them up in the work
>    tree,".  We can instead say "You seem to have fixed them up in
>    the work tree already," or something.

How are you determining what has been resolved? By looking for "<<<<<<<"
markers? That feels a little flaky, but I guess it would probably work
well enough in practice.

If we started using that heuristic, it would probably make sense to
teach "git status" about it (and then maybe just have a failed "commit"
rely on wt_status to produce the output).

> I am not doing this myself soon, though.  Hint, hint...

Me either, though it all seems like a sensible direction to me.

-Peff