"incomplete/misleading error message in push"

[d3k0]

I've set up a shared repository, and a few developers work on code using the "decentralized with shared mainline" workflow.
So, the logical flow of developer actions is:

1) bzr pull
2) (hack hack hack)
3) bzr push
4) push says that branches have diverged?
    if yes:
         4a) merge
         4b) commit
         4c) push
    if no: all is ok

If I have no errors in my setup, this mechanism fails if I do not do a commit in 4b, right?
So, the error message given in 4, that is:

bzr: ERROR: These branches have diverged. Try using "merge" and then "push".

ought instead be something like:

bzr: ERROR: These branches have diverged. Try using "merge", "commit" and then "push".

because if a user does only merge and push, he gets always the same error (correctly).

Thank you.

[James Westby (james-w)]

On Fri, 2008-09-12 at 16:34 +0000, d3k0 wrote:
> bzr: ERROR: These branches have diverged. Try using "merge", eventually
> "commit" or "revert" and then "push".

How about 'Try merging (see "bzr help merge"), and then push again.'

"revert" wouldn't help you, and I don't like trying to explain
everything in an error message.

Thanks,

James

[John A Meinel (jameinel)]

I would actually probably go to a help topic.

"See 'bzr help diverged-branches'" which can then talk a bit more at length about how to resolve divergence, and what it means to have diverged.

[d3k0 (daniele-defelice)]

1) Using "merging" is better, because the problem in the original message is that most people does exactly what the message says, so "merge" and "push". "merging" is more general.

2) In the help of merge there is the sentence:

The results of the merge are placed into the destination working
  directory, where they can be reviewed (with bzr diff), tested, and then
  committed to record the result of the merge.

that's not so easy to understand. May be a specific help, or perhaps (better?) a more specific section in the help of "merge", could help users to understand the mechanism.

Thanks