Re: [PATCH] git-clone-pack: do not silently overwrite an existing branch 'origin'

[Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>]

Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> writes:

> When cloning a repository which already contains a branch called 'origin',
> do not silently overwrite it with the remote 'master' ref.

If we consider the "origin is special and is used to track
upstream" convention pretty much ingrained, then unconditionally
overwriting origin without saying anything is the right
approach.  After all, you do not care what upstream your
upstream is keeping track of, and you would want to use 'origin'
for the usual purpose of keeping track of upstream.

Otherwise, if we do not treat "origin" specially, we could
do something like this.  If "origin" exists, then we do not
overwrite upon clone, nor subsequent fetch.

I have a mild aversion to this change, though.  I'd much prefer
the third approach I am too lazy to code, which lets you say
what local branch name instead of 'origin' to keep track of
upstream from 'git clone' command line.

---

diff --git a/git-clone.sh b/git-clone.sh
index 280cc2e..edebee7 100755
--- a/git-clone.sh
+++ b/git-clone.sh
@@ -206,17 +206,22 @@ then
 	refs/heads/*)
 		head_points_at=`expr "$head_points_at" : 'refs/heads/\(.*\)'`
 		mkdir -p .git/remotes &&
-		echo >.git/remotes/origin \
-		"URL: $repo
-Pull: $head_points_at:origin" &&
-		cp ".git/refs/heads/$head_points_at" .git/refs/heads/origin &&
+		echo "URL: $repo" >.git/remotes/origin &&
+		if test -f ".git/refs/heads/origin"
+		then
+		    echo "Pull: $head_points_at:"
+		else
+		    echo "Pull: $head_points_at:origin"
+		    cp ".git/refs/heads/$head_points_at" \
+		        .git/refs/heads/origin &&
+		fi >>.git/remotes/origin &&
 		find .git/refs/heads -type f -print |
 		while read ref
 		do
-			head=`expr "$ref" : '.git/refs/heads/\(.*\)'` &&
-			test "$head_points_at" = "$head" ||
-			test "origin" = "$head" ||
-			echo "Pull: ${head}:${head}"
+		    head=`expr "$ref" : '.git/refs/heads/\(.*\)'` &&
+		    test "$head_points_at" = "$head" ||
+		    test "origin" = "$head" ||
+		    echo "Pull: ${head}:${head}"
 		done >>.git/remotes/origin
 	esac