[PATCH v4] ref-filter: fallback on alphabetical comparison

[PATCH v4] ref-filter: fallback on alphabetical comparison

[Karthik Nayak]

In ref-filter.c the comparison of refs while sorting is handled by
cmp_ref_sorting() function. When sorting as per numerical values
(e.g. --sort=objectsize) there is no fallback comparison when both
refs hold the same value. This can cause unexpected results (i.e. the
order of listing refs with equal values cannot be pre-determined) as
pointed out by Johannes Sixt ($gmane/280117).

Hence, fallback to alphabetical comparison based on the refname
whenever the other criterion is equal.

A test in t3203 was expecting that branch-two sorts before HEAD, which
happened to be how qsort(3) on Linux sorted the array, but (1) that
outcome was not even guaranteed, and (2) once we start breaking ties
with the refname, "HEAD" should sort before "branch-two" so the
original expectation was inconsistent with the criterion we now use.

Update it to match the new world order, which we can now depend on
being stable.

Helped-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Reported-by: Johannes Sixt <j6t@kdbg.org>
Signed-off-by: Karthik Nayak <Karthik.188@gmail.com>
---
 ref-filter.c             | 2 +-
 t/t3203-branch-output.sh | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index 046e73b..7b33cb8 100644
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -1698,7 +1698,7 @@ static int cmp_ref_sorting(struct ref_sorting *s, struct ref_array_item *a, stru
 		if (va->ul < vb->ul)
 			cmp = -1;
 		else if (va->ul == vb->ul)
-			cmp = 0;
+			cmp = strcmp(a->refname, b->refname);
 		else
 			cmp = 1;
 	}
diff --git a/t/t3203-branch-output.sh b/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
index f77971c..9f2d482 100755
--- a/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
+++ b/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
@@ -158,8 +158,8 @@ EOF
 
 test_expect_success 'git branch `--sort` option' '
 	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
-	  branch-two
 	* (HEAD detached from fromtag)
+	  branch-two
 	  branch-one
 	  master
 	EOF
-- 
2.6.2

Re: [PATCH v4] ref-filter: fallback on alphabetical comparison

[Johannes Sixt]

Am 30.10.2015 um 09:45 schrieb Karthik Nayak:
> In ref-filter.c the comparison of refs while sorting is handled by
> cmp_ref_sorting() function. When sorting as per numerical values
> (e.g. --sort=objectsize) there is no fallback comparison when both
> refs hold the same value. This can cause unexpected results (i.e. the
> order of listing refs with equal values cannot be pre-determined) as
> pointed out by Johannes Sixt ($gmane/280117).
>
> Hence, fallback to alphabetical comparison based on the refname
> whenever the other criterion is equal.
>
> A test in t3203 was expecting that branch-two sorts before HEAD, which
> happened to be how qsort(3) on Linux sorted the array, but (1) that
> outcome was not even guaranteed, and (2) once we start breaking ties
> with the refname, "HEAD" should sort before "branch-two" so the
> original expectation was inconsistent with the criterion we now use.
>
> Update it to match the new world order, which we can now depend on
> being stable.

Needless to say that the patch fixes the test failure on Windows. (I 
tested v2 of the patch.)

-- Hannes

Re: [PATCH v4] ref-filter: fallback on alphabetical comparison

[Junio C Hamano]

Johannes Sixt <j6t@kdbg.org> writes:

>> Update it to match the new world order, which we can now depend on
>> being stable.
>
> Needless to say that the patch fixes the test failure on Windows. (I
> tested v2 of the patch.)

Thanks, both.  Queued.