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 <new_branch_name>
> + 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
-------------------------------------------------
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