From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jonathan Nieder Subject: Re: [PATCH 02/13] Use current "detached HEAD" message Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:49:16 -0700 Message-ID: <20130825034916.GB2882@elie.Belkin> References: <282216171.1090748.1377328932833.JavaMail.ngmail@webmail08.arcor-online.net> <1667680014.1090850.1377329140347.JavaMail.ngmail@webmail08.arcor-online.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Cc: git@vger.kernel.org, gitster@pobox.com, wking@tremily.us To: Thomas Ackermann X-From: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Sun Aug 25 05:50:45 2013 Return-path: Envelope-to: gcvg-git-2@plane.gmane.org Received: from vger.kernel.org ([209.132.180.67]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1VDRLg-0006lB-EA for gcvg-git-2@plane.gmane.org; Sun, 25 Aug 2013 05:50:44 +0200 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1755505Ab3HYDtW (ORCPT ); Sat, 24 Aug 2013 23:49:22 -0400 Received: from mail-pb0-f53.google.com ([209.85.160.53]:48926 "EHLO mail-pb0-f53.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1755400Ab3HYDtV (ORCPT ); Sat, 24 Aug 2013 23:49:21 -0400 Received: by mail-pb0-f53.google.com with SMTP id up15so2157363pbc.12 for ; Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:49:20 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=date:from:to:cc:subject:message-id:references:mime-version :content-type:content-disposition:in-reply-to:user-agent; bh=uNWDZw6sfqKgGi0+517PNk4jyJMgXe1hpdkFpB2omSo=; b=qpvKwE0Kp/QfVBuJKEWsqagnXd0U9ToCngXDQwZuDVJ9DB7oeUCjNDMX/ZHUPN2hoW EM4LUYZFVVajP2ahBZfdSPNum8811ys3WbeB8jDJnJpTE3hnnpA+1pHlIwvmwxcREQIb wIX2RjvLVj8fxa8J2HaZcbdkdgG9Ne41W9P+qB7PvBlXqWEGqTX5yDq21htDls6JJA1v ODaq23nU8OVmg3zFVjPuD5fju3PESlSwlt4xblw/Ay3DnpdBsWUQmU5JrGUSJ8s3deh0 fxytItsBc48W+vMI/pMprjjERQpXZTvekexXdM3IjhBYTW6+qKjv8oTlx9msdGg7ovZ/ aibQ== X-Received: by 10.67.30.70 with SMTP id kc6mr7123825pad.32.1377402560707; Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:49:20 -0700 (PDT) Received: from elie.Belkin (c-107-3-135-164.hsd1.ca.comcast.net. [107.3.135.164]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPSA id ib9sm9356312pbc.43.1969.12.31.16.00.00 (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-RC4-SHA bits=128/128); Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:49:19 -0700 (PDT) Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <1667680014.1090850.1377329140347.JavaMail.ngmail@webmail08.arcor-online.net> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21+51 (9e756d1adb76) (2011-07-01) Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org Archived-At: Thomas Ackermann wrote: > --- a/Documentation/user-manual.txt > +++ b/Documentation/user-manual.txt > @@ -312,10 +312,17 @@ referenced by a tag: > > ------------------------------------------------ > $ git checkout v2.6.17 > - Note: moving to "v2.6.17" which isn't a local branch > - If you want to create a new branch from this checkout, you may do so > - (now or later) by using -b with the checkout command again. Example: > - git checkout -b > + Note: checking out 'v2.6.17'. > + > + You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental > + changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this > + state without impacting any branches by performing another checkout. > + > + If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may > + do so (now or later) by using -b with the checkout command again. Example: > + > + git checkout -b new_branch_name > + > HEAD is now at 427abfa... Linux v2.6.17 I wonder if this longer wall of text (added in 13be3e31, 2010-01-29) is too aggressive. It is the only piece of advice that I explicitly disable in ~/.gitconfig, so I haven't looked at it again for a while. Since then, the usual stream of questions about how to recover from people who accidentally detached HEAD has still been showing up in #git, so I don't think the message succeeded in its purpose. That might be partly because it is too long to digest at a glance. When I see this message, what I actually take in is $ git checkout v1.7.3 Hmm, capital --->Note: checking out 'v1.7.3'. heading before lowercase You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You ... sentence. ... checkout. If you want ... do so (now or later) by using -b .... Example: git ... HEAD is ... Phew, I can ---->$ type commands again. Whereas I think the message is just meant to convey the following: $ git checkout v2.6.17 note: checking out a tag for inspection and discardable experiments on top To create a new branch to save your changes: git checkout -b my-branch-based-on-v2.6.17 HEAD is now at 427abfa... Linux v2.6.17 $ > ------------------------------------------------ > > @@ -326,7 +333,7 @@ and git branch shows that you are no longer on a branch: > $ cat .git/HEAD > 427abfa28afedffadfca9dd8b067eb6d36bac53f > $ git branch > -* (no branch) > +* (detached from v2.6.17) grep "no branch" Documentation/user-manual.txt finds two other instances of that message, which this branch doesn't touch. One is about a bisection, where (no branch) is pretty close to the actual message ('(no branch, bisect started on master)'). The other is about submodules. Here's a patch for potential squashing in that corrects it. Thanks, Jonathan diff --git i/Documentation/user-manual.txt w/Documentation/user-manual.txt index 3e226190..b76219ee 100644 --- i/Documentation/user-manual.txt +++ w/Documentation/user-manual.txt @@ -3647,7 +3647,7 @@ working on a branch. ------------------------------------------------- $ git branch -* (no branch) +* (detached from d266b98) master -------------------------------------------------