branch: description for non-existent branch errors

When the repository does not yet have commits, some errors describe that
there is no branch:

    $ git init -b first

    $ git branch --edit-description first
    error: No branch named 'first'.

    $ git branch --set-upstream-to=upstream
    fatal: branch 'first' does not exist

    $ git branch -c second
    error: refname refs/heads/first not found
    fatal: Branch copy failed

That "first" branch is unborn but to say it doesn't exists is confusing.

Options "-c" (copy) and "-m" (rename) show the same error when the
origin branch doesn't exists:

    $ git branch -c non-existent-branch second
    error: refname refs/heads/non-existent-branch not found
    fatal: Branch copy failed

    $ git branch -m non-existent-branch second
    error: refname refs/heads/non-existent-branch not found
    fatal: Branch rename failed

Note that "--edit-description" without an explicit argument is already
considering the _empty repository_ circumstance in its error.  Also note
that "-m" on the initial branch it is an allowed operation.

Make the error descriptions for those branch operations with unborn or
non-existent branches, more informative.

This is the result of the change:

    $ git init -b first

    $ git branch --edit-description first
    error: No commit on branch 'first' yet.

    $ git branch --set-upstream-to=upstream
    fatal: No commit on branch 'first' yet.

    $ git branch -c second
    fatal: No commit on branch 'first' yet.

    $ git branch [-c/-m] non-existent-branch second
    fatal: No branch named 'non-existent-branch'.

Signed-off-by: Rubén Justo <rjusto@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 55cd9a6e9984fc66334a7e78bd65294c628e34fb..499ebec99e307ca97add3df884e9e000a47c3f2d 100644 (file)
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -538,6 +538,13 @@ static void copy_or_rename_branch(const char *oldname, const char *newname, int
                        die(_("Invalid branch name: '%s'"), oldname);
        }
 
+       if ((copy || strcmp(head, oldname)) && !ref_exists(oldref.buf)) {
+               if (copy && !strcmp(head, oldname))
+                       die(_("No commit on branch '%s' yet."), oldname);
+               else
+                       die(_("No branch named '%s'."), oldname);
+       }
+
        /*
         * A command like "git branch -M currentbranch currentbranch" cannot
         * cause the worktree to become inconsistent with HEAD, so allow it.
@@ -805,7 +812,7 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
                if (!ref_exists(branch_ref.buf)) {
                        strbuf_release(&branch_ref);
 
-                       if (!argc)
+                       if (!argc || !strcmp(head, branch_name))
                                return error(_("No commit on branch '%s' yet."),
                                             branch_name);
                        else
@@ -848,8 +855,11 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
                        die(_("no such branch '%s'"), argv[0]);
                }
 
-               if (!ref_exists(branch->refname))
+               if (!ref_exists(branch->refname)) {
+                       if (!argc || !strcmp(head, branch->name))
+                               die(_("No commit on branch '%s' yet."), branch->name);
                        die(_("branch '%s' does not exist"), branch->name);
+               }
 
                dwim_and_setup_tracking(the_repository, branch->name,
                                        new_upstream, BRANCH_TRACK_OVERRIDE,

diff --git a/t/t3202-show-branch.sh b/t/t3202-show-branch.sh
index f2b9199007752eded932a8da541e1a86e350d10a..ea7cfd1951d8b2173c8fe13f1bc307ff9e7cfa1c 100755 (executable)
--- a/t/t3202-show-branch.sh
+++ b/t/t3202-show-branch.sh
@@ -7,6 +7,28 @@ test_description='test show-branch'
 # arbitrary reference time: 2009-08-30 19:20:00
 GIT_TEST_DATE_NOW=1251660000; export GIT_TEST_DATE_NOW
 
+test_expect_success 'error descriptions on empty repository' '
+       current=$(git branch --show-current) &&
+       cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+       error: No commit on branch '\''$current'\'' yet.
+       EOF
+       test_must_fail git branch --edit-description 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual &&
+       test_must_fail git branch --edit-description $current 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'fatal descriptions on empty repository' '
+       current=$(git branch --show-current) &&
+       cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+       fatal: No commit on branch '\''$current'\'' yet.
+       EOF
+       test_must_fail git branch --set-upstream-to=non-existent 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual &&
+       test_must_fail git branch -c new-branch 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'setup' '
        test_commit initial &&
        for i in $(test_seq 1 10)
@@ -175,4 +197,28 @@ done <<\EOF
 --reflog --current
 EOF
 
+test_expect_success 'error descriptions on non-existent branch' '
+       cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+       error: No branch named '\''non-existent'\'.'
+       EOF
+       test_must_fail git branch --edit-description non-existent 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'fatal descriptions on non-existent branch' '
+       cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+       fatal: branch '\''non-existent'\'' does not exist
+       EOF
+       test_must_fail git branch --set-upstream-to=non-existent non-existent 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+       cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+       fatal: No branch named '\''non-existent'\''.
+       EOF
+       test_must_fail git branch -c non-existent new-branch 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual &&
+       test_must_fail git branch -m non-existent new-branch 2>actual &&
+       test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done