Subject: BUG 1.7.9: git-update-ref strange behavior with ref with trailing newline

From: Mark Jason Dominus <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:09:28 -0500

Here I use git symbolic-ref to update HEAD with a ref whose name
contains trailing newlines:

        $ git symbolic-ref -m "this message does not appear" HEAD 'refs/heads/master
        > '

The newlines are inserted into .git/HEAD, but are innocuous, because
other git commands ignore them.  The bug is that the -m option is
completely ignored:

        $ git reflog HEAD | grep 'message does not appear'
        $

If trailing newlines are considered acceptable, the -m option should
be honored.  If not, an error message should be printed and thecommand
should exit with a nonzero exit status.

I will prepare a patch if you will say which behavior would be
preferable.

Mark Jason Dominus 	  			                 [email-masked]