Exit code of git-ls-remote

git-ls-remote behaves differently then git-show-ref when it cannot find any matching refs. While the latter returns non zero exit code in this case, the former always returns 0. Is there any specific reason for this behaviour?

Quoted 4 lines · Kacper Kornet

git-ls-remote behaves differently then git-show-ref when it cannot find any matching refs. While the latter returns non zero exit code in this case, the former always returns 0. Is there any specific reason for this behaviour?

There is no specific reason other than "they happened to be implemented like so". These commands have always behaved that way and people are relying on their exit status, so unless there is a compelling reason, they will not change.

It is just a matter of opinion to consider that it is an error condition or just a normal case to see an empty set for a "List 'em and filter with these criteria" request. Outside git, "find /there -name no-such-file" exits with zero status, while "grep no-such-pattern file" exits with non-zero status.

You can rely on your knowledge of the commands and write your tests like this:

	test $(git ls-remote $there $pattern | wc -l) != 0 || die "none"
	git show-ref -q $pattern || die "none"

Alternatively, you can defend yourself against the next person who asks the same question by writing the last one as:

	test $(git show-ref $pattern | wc -l) != 0 || die "none"

Either would work.

git ls-remote returns zero no matter if the given references were found or not. Teach ls-remote an option --exit-status to make it optionally returning a non-zero status.

Signed-off-by Michael Schubert <[email protected]>

---

If there is just one existing ref in a list of non-exising refs, this will return zero though - as "git show-ref" does.

builtin/ls-remote.c +4 -0

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
...
+	int exit_code = 0;
...

@@ -74,6 +75,10 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
...
+			if (!strcmp("--exit-code", arg) || !strcmp("-e", arg)) {
+				exit_code = 1;
+				continue;
...

Quoted 11 lines · Michael Schubert

(quoted diff) +4 -0

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
...
+	int exit_code = 0;
...

@@ -74,6 +75,10 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
...
+			if (!strcmp("--exit-code", arg) || !strcmp("-e", arg)) {
+				exit_code = 1;
+				continue;
...

Review int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)

Quoted 3 lines

(quoted diff) +1 -0

@@ -115,12 +120,15 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
...
+	return (exit_code) ? 2 : 0;
 }

What is this insanity?

Wouldn't it be a lot more straightforward to write it like this?

	int status = 0;

	...

		if (!strcmp("--exit-code", arg)) {
			/* when we do not find any, return this value */
 			status = 2;
                        continue;
		}

	...

	return status;

Review

Quoted 4 lines · Michael Schubert

+-e::
+--exit-code::

(quoted diff) +2 -0

+	Exit with a non-zero status code when the specified references don't
+	exist.

All or any of them? Also, the <refs> are patterns, so this should probably be talking about "not matching".

git ls-remote returns zero no matter if the given references were found or not. Teach ls-remote an option --exit-status to make it optionally returning a non-zero status.

Signed-off-by Michael Schubert <[email protected]>

---

If there is just one existing ref in a list of non-exising refs, this will return zero though - as "git show-ref" does.

 Documentation/git-ls-remote.txt |    7 ++++++- builtin/ls-remote.c             |   12 ++++++++++--

 2 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

Documentation/git-ls-remote.txt +0 -0

index c3df8c0..26cf705 100644
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ SYNOPSIS

 --------
 [verse]
 'git ls-remote' [--heads] [--tags]  [-u <exec> | --upload-pack <exec>]
-             <repository> [<refs>...]
+             [-e|--exit-code] <repository> [<refs>...]

 DESCRIPTION
 -----------

Documentation/git-ls-remote.txt +0 -0

@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ OPTIONS

       SSH and where the SSH daemon does not use the PATH configured by the user.

+-e::
+--exit-code::

+       Exit with a non-zero status code when the specified references don't
+       exist.
+
 <repository>::
       Location of the repository.  The shorthand defined in $GIT_DIR/branches/ can be used. Use "." (dot) to list references in

builtin/ls-remote.c +0 -0

index 1a1ff87..99fcf6b 100644
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 

 static const char ls_remote_usage[] =
 "git ls-remote [--heads] [--tags]  [-u <exec> | --upload-pack <exec>]\n" -"                     [-q|--quiet] [<repository> [<refs>...]]";
+"                     [-q|--quiet] [-e|--exit-code] [<repository> [<refs>...]]";

 /*
 * Is there one among the list of patterns that match the tail part

builtin/ls-remote.c +6 -0

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
        unsigned flags = 0;
        int get_url = 0;
        int quiet = 0;
+       int exit_code = 0;
        const char *uploadpack = NULL;
        const char **pattern = NULL;
 

@@ -74,6 +75,10 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
                                get_url = 1;
                                continue;
                        }
+                       if (!strcmp("--exit-code", arg) || !strcmp("-e", arg)) {
+                               exit_code = 1;
+                               continue;
+                       }
                        usage(ls_remote_usage);
                }
                dest = arg;

@@ -115,12 +120,15 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
        if (!dest && !quiet)
                fprintf(stderr, "From %s\n", *remote->url);
+
        for ( ; ref; ref = ref->next) {

builtin/ls-remote.c +0 -1

  }
--

1.7.5.1

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