Subject: [PATCH v2] branch: improve error log on branch not found by checking remotes refs

From: "ClementMabileau via GitGitGadget" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2023 20:03:22 +0000

From: ctmbl <[email-masked]>

when failing to delete a branch with `git branch -d <branch>` because
of branch not found, try to find a remote refs matching `<branch>`
and if so add an hint:
`Did you forget --remote?` to the error message

Signed-off-by: Clement Mabileau <[email-masked]>
---
    branch: improve error log on branch not found by checking remotes refs
    
    when failing to delete a branch with git branch -d <branch> because of
    branch not found, try to find a remote refs matching <branch> and if so
    add an hint: Did you forget --remote? to the error message

Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-1476%2Fctmbl%2Fbranch%2Fdeletion%2Fimprove-error-msg-v2
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-1476/ctmbl/branch/deletion/improve-error-msg-v2
Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/1476

Range-diff vs v1:

 1:  91cb506968a ! 1:  eb95695ace2 branch: improve error log on branch not found by checking remotes refs
     @@ builtin/branch.c: static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int fo
      +							| RESOLVE_REF_NO_RECURSE
      +							| RESOLVE_REF_ALLOW_BAD_NAME,
      +							&oid, &flags);
     ++				FREE_AND_NULL(virtual_name);
      +				if (virtual_target)
      +					error(_(MISSING_BRANCH_HINT_MSG), bname.buf);
      +				else
 2:  27f27f3afd7 < -:  ----------- Fix mem leak in branch.c due to not-free newly added virtual_name variable

 builtin/branch.c | 29 ++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
 1 file changed, 24 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index f63fd45edb9..697636e2874 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -216,10 +216,12 @@ static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int force, int kinds,
 	struct string_list refs_to_delete = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 	struct string_list_item *item;
 	int branch_name_pos;
+	char* FMT_REMOTES = "refs/remotes/%s";
+	char* FMT_BRANCHES = "refs/heads/%s";
 
 	switch (kinds) {
 	case FILTER_REFS_REMOTES:
-		fmt = "refs/remotes/%s";
+		fmt = FMT_REMOTES;
 		/* For subsequent UI messages */
 		remote_branch = 1;
 		allowed_interpret = INTERPRET_BRANCH_REMOTE;
@@ -227,7 +229,7 @@ static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int force, int kinds,
 		force = 1;
 		break;
 	case FILTER_REFS_BRANCHES:
-		fmt = "refs/heads/%s";
+		fmt = FMT_BRANCHES;
 		allowed_interpret = INTERPRET_BRANCH_LOCAL;
 		break;
 	default:
@@ -263,9 +265,26 @@ static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int force, int kinds,
 					| RESOLVE_REF_ALLOW_BAD_NAME,
 					&oid, &flags);
 		if (!target) {
-			error(remote_branch
-			      ? _("remote-tracking branch '%s' not found.")
-			      : _("branch '%s' not found."), bname.buf);
+			char* MISSING_REMOTE_REF_ERROR_MSG = "remote-tracking branch '%s' not found.";
+			char* MISSING_BRANCH_ERROR_MSG = "branch '%s' not found.";
+			char* MISSING_BRANCH_HINT_MSG = "branch '%s' not found.\n"
+											"Did you forget --remote?";
+
+			if (remote_branch) {
+				error(_(MISSING_REMOTE_REF_ERROR_MSG), bname.buf);
+			} else {
+				char* virtual_name = mkpathdup(FMT_REMOTES, bname.buf);
+				char* virtual_target = resolve_refdup(virtual_name,
+							RESOLVE_REF_READING
+							| RESOLVE_REF_NO_RECURSE
+							| RESOLVE_REF_ALLOW_BAD_NAME,
+							&oid, &flags);
+				FREE_AND_NULL(virtual_name);
+				if (virtual_target)
+					error(_(MISSING_BRANCH_HINT_MSG), bname.buf);
+				else
+					error(_(MISSING_BRANCH_ERROR_MSG), bname.buf);
+			}
 			ret = 1;
 			continue;
 		}

base-commit: 950264636c68591989456e3ba0a5442f93152c1a
-- 
gitgitgadget