Jeff King <peff@xxxxxxxx> writes: > diff --git a/remote.c b/remote.c > index dca3442..1b7051a 100644 > --- a/remote.c > +++ b/remote.c > @@ -1705,10 +1705,35 @@ int branch_merge_matches(struct branch *branch, > return refname_match(branch->merge[i]->src, refname); > } > > -const char *branch_get_upstream(struct branch *branch) > +__attribute((format (printf,2,3))) > +static const char *error_buf(struct strbuf *err, const char *fmt, ...) > { > - if (!branch || !branch->merge || !branch->merge[0]) > - return NULL; > + if (err) { > + va_list ap; > + va_start(ap, fmt); > + strbuf_vaddf(err, fmt, ap); > + va_end(ap); > + } > + return NULL; > +} Many of our functions return -1 to signal an error, and that is why it makes sense for our error() helper to return -1 to save code in the caller, but only because the callers of this private helper use a NULL to signal an error, this also returns NULL. If we were to use the "callers can opt into detailed message by passing strbuf" pattern more widely, we would want a variant of the above that returns -1, too. And such a helper would do the same thing as above, with only difference from the above is to return -1. It's a shame that we have to return something from this function, whose primary purpose is "we may or may not want an error message in a strbuf, so format the message when and only when we give you a strbuf", but C forces us to make it "always return NULL to signal an error to the caller, and optionally format the message into a strbuf if given". And the name of this helper function only captures the "optionally format the message" part, not the "always return NULL" part. > +const char *branch_get_upstream(struct branch *branch, struct strbuf *err) > +{ > + if (!branch) > + return error_buf(err, _("HEAD does not point to a branch")); > + if (!branch->merge || !branch->merge[0] || !branch->merge[0]->dst) { > + if (!ref_exists(branch->refname)) > + return error_buf(err, _("no such branch: '%s'"), > + branch->name); > + if (!branch->merge) > + return error_buf(err, > + _("no upstream configured for branch '%s'"), > + branch->name); > + return error_buf(err, > + _("upstream branch '%s' not stored as a remote-tracking branch"), > + branch->merge[0]->src); > + } > + > return branch->merge[0]->dst; > } This is a faithful conversion of what the get_upstream_branch() used to do, but that ref_exists() check and the error checking there look somewhat out of place. It makes the reader wonder what should happen when "branch->refname" does not exist as a ref, but "branch->merge[0]->dst" can be fully dereferenced. Should it be an error, or if it is OK, the reason why it is OK is...? -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html