Re: `git status` output is very misleading after a merge on a "detached HEAD"

["Enis Bayramoğlu" <enis@picussecurity.com>]

On Wed, Apr 12, 2017 at 8:43 AM, Michael J Gruber <git@grubix.eu> wrote:
> Am 11. April 2017 22:40:14 MESZ schrieb "Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason" <avarab@gmail.com>:
>>On Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 5:13 PM, Enis Bayramoğlu
>><enis@picussecurity.com> wrote:
>>>> Well, what do you suggest as an alternative?
>>>>
>>>> Git tells you that you are in detached state and where you came from
>>>> (detached from).
>>>
>>> I think it'd be best if git status somehow indicated that you're no
>>> longer at the same commit. Maybe something like:
>>>
>>> $ git status
>>> HEAD detached from origin/master, no longer at the same commit
>>> nothing to commit, working directory clean
>>
>>I'm not saying this is clear, I didn't know this until I read the code
>>just now, but for what it's worth it says "detached at" if you're
>>detached from BRANCH but at the same commit, and "detached from" if
>>you're now on a different commit.
>>
>
> That's what I explained in my first reply which the OP quoted in a chopped way.  I think he even misquoted the git output he got.
>
> It's the difference between from and at.

You're right, I hadn't noticed the difference, I really thought I
copied the git output verbatim from the console, but I must've been
confused while switching windows. Sorry about that.

I consider myself fairly fluent in English, but it's not my native
language. If you think head detached "from" vs. "at" is immediately
and unambiguously clear about what's going on, then I guess it's not
worth changing the behavior.

>
>
>>> or, to be more informative
>>>
>>> HEAD detached from origin/master 1 commit ago,
>>
>>In lieu of that, which would need some of the rev-list machinery to be
>>invoked on every git-status, I wonder if just saying "HEAD detached &
>>diverged from origin/master" wouldn't be clearer:
>>
>>diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
>>index 308cf3779e..79c8cfd1cf 100644
>>--- a/wt-status.c
>>+++ b/wt-status.c
>>@@ -1542,7 +1542,7 @@ static void wt_longstatus_print(struct wt_status
>>*s)
>>                                if (state.detached_at)
>>                                      on_what = _("HEAD detached at ");
>>                                else
>>-                                       on_what = _("HEAD detached from
>>");
>>+                                       on_what = _("HEAD detached &
>>diverged from ");
>>                        } else {
>>                                branch_name = "";
>>                           on_what = _("Not currently on any branch.");
>>
>>
>>
>
> No way. That would reduce the information that we give.
>
> Note that the difference between from and at is also: are there commits that we could lose when we switch away, that is: that git checkout would warn us about?
>
> Maybe improve the doc instead?
>
>>
>>> On Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 5:55 PM, Michael J Gruber <git@grubix.eu>
>>wrote:
>>>> Enis Bayramoğlu venit, vidit, dixit 11.04.2017 10:57:
>>>>> I've encountered a very misleading output from `git status`. Here's
>>a
>>>>> sequence of events that demonstrates the issue:
>>>>>
>>>>> $ git --version
>>>>> git version 2.12.0
>>>>>
>>>>> $ git checkout origin/master
>>>>>
>>>>> $ git status
>>>>> HEAD detached from origin/master
>>>>> nothing to commit, working directory clean
>>>>
>>>> Hmm. My Git would display "detached at" here as long as you are on
>>the
>>>> commit that you detached from.
>>>>
>>>>> $ git merge --ff f3515b749be861b57fc70c2341c1234eeb0d5b87
>>>>>
>>>>> $ git status
>>>>> HEAD detached from origin/master
>>>>> nothing to commit, working directory clean
>>>>>
>>>>> $ git rev-parse origin/master
>>>>> e1dc1baaadee0f1aef2d5c45d068306025d11f67
>>>>>
>>>>> $ git rev-parse HEAD
>>>>> 786cb6dd09897e0950a2bdc971f0665a059efd33
>>>>>
>>>>> I think it's extremely misleading that `git status` simply reports
>>>>> "HEAD detached from origin/master" while this simply happens to be
>>a
>>>>> mildly relevant fact about some past state.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks and regards
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Well, what do you suggest as an alternative?
>>>>
>>>> Git tells you that you are in detached state and where you came from
>>>> (detached from).
>>>>
>>>> Michael
>

Thanks,
Enis