Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy <pclouds@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
> Normally we err on the safe side: if something can be seen as both an
> SHA1 and a pathspec, we stop and scream. In checkout, there is one
> exception added in 859fdab (git-checkout: improve error messages, detect
> ambiguities. - 2008-07-23), to allow the common case "git checkout
> branch". Let's document this exception.
Good idea, but...
> +ARGUMENT AMBIGUATION
> +--------------------
> +
> +When there is only one argument given and it is not `--` (e.g. "git
> +checkout abc"), "abc" could be seen as either a `<tree-ish>` or a
> +`<pathspec>`, but Git will assume the argument is a `<tree-ish>`, which is
> +a common case for switching branches. Use `git checkout -- <pathspec>`
> +form if you mean it to be a pathspec.
... this is far from reasonable. I'd read "but Git will assume the
argument is a tree-ish" to mean "git checkout Makefile" would
attempt to checkout the Makefile branch and fail.
When there is only one argument given and it is not `--` (e.g. "git
checkout abc"), and when the argument is both a valid `<tree-ish>`
(e.g. a branch "abc" exists) and a valid `<pathspec>` (e.g. a file
or a directory whose name is "abc" exists), Git would usually ask
you to disambiguate. Because checking out a branch is so common an
operation, however, "git checkout abc" takes "abc" as a `<tree-ish>`
in such situation. Use `git checkout -- <pathspec>` if you want to
checkout these paths out of the index.
or something like that?