catkin_prepare_release fails

[ahendrix]

catkin_prepare_release fails on my repository:

pr2_mechanism $ catkin_prepare_release 
Repository type: git
Found packages: pr2_controller_manager, pr2_mechanism_diagnostics, pr2_controller_interface, pr2_mechanism, pr2_hardware_interface, pr2_mechanism_model
Warning: the following packages do not have a changelog file or entry for the to be released version: pr2_controller_interface, pr2_controller_manager, pr2_hardware_interface, pr2_mechanism, pr2_mechanism_diagnostics, pr2_mechanism_model
Continue without changelogs [y/N]?y
Bump version from 1.8.4 to 1.8.5
Committing the package.xml files...
[hydro-devel 8b2d3a2] 1.8.5
 6 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
Tagging the repository...
Could not determine git remote: Command '['/usr/bin/git', 'config', '--get', 'branch.hydro-devel.remote']' returned non-zero exit status 1

For reference:

$ git remote -v
origin  git@github.com:PR2/pr2_mechanism.git (fetch)
origin  git@github.com:PR2/pr2_mechanism.git (push)
$ git branch
  beltcomp
  beltcomp_cturtle
  ft_sensor
* hydro-devel
  master
  online_cal
  pr2_mechanism-1.0
  pr2_mechanism-1.2
  pr2_mechanism-1.4
  pr2_mechanism-1.5
  pr2_mechanism-1.6
  shadowint

There is no confirmation step and no obvious message indicating what when wrong or what I can do to fix it, so I've now burned three minor release numbers fighting this. :(

[dirk-thomas]

Can you please post the output and return code of these two commands:

git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
git config --get branch.hydro-devel.remote

Btw. catkin_prepare_release (the current version) will not push to your GBP repo. So you are free to reset the changes and try again without requiring to bump the version number multiple times.

[ahendrix]

$ git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
hydro-devel
$ echo $?
0
$ git config --get branch.hydro-devel.remote
$ echo $?
1

I suspect there's something wrong with the way this git repo is set up; it has had some adventures.

I was able to rewrite my commit history and remove the extra versions and tags.

[dirk-thomas]

I don't know what would causes the git config line to fail. Please provide the output of:

git config --list

[ahendrix]

I fixed the git config line by setting my local branch to track an upstream branch, with:

$ git branch hydro-devel --set-upstream remotes/origin/hydro-devel
$ git config --get branch.hydro-devel.remote
origin

Suggest you make this check before making changes to the repository and explicitly warn the user about it.

[dirk-thomas]

What check should catkin_prepare_release perform? I could only imagine a better error message if the command files - something like "check if the current branch is tracking an upstream branch".

[dirk-thomas]

I will try to move the check to be performed earlier in the script. And add a custom error message...

[ahendrix]

That would be great; thanks!

[dirk-thomas]

Well, which version of catkin are you using?

The current one (0.5.69) does either not push at all (so doesn't need to check) if invoked without any args; or if invoked with --push performs the check if pushing is possible before doing any modifications to the repo.

[ahendrix]

I'm using version 0.5.69 from debs, and invoking it without any arguments.

$ dpkg -l ros-hydro-catkin
...
ii ros-hydro-catkin 0.5.69-0precise-20130705-2354-+0000 Low-level build system macros and infrastructure for ROS.

[dirk-thomas]

I see, it fails for you while generating the command lines which would need to be executed manually afterwards. I will create a patch which adds a comment like

May be the branch '%s' is not tracking a remote branch?

to the raised exception.

[130s]

I've faced this issue multiple times still occurs to me when I create a new branch, push it to the origin, then run catkin_prepare_release. Every time I came back to #463 (comment) and run those commands.

Assuming this is git's default behavior and out of catkin_prepare_release's scope to provide further care, where's a good place to add comments/document for that?

$ dpkg -p ros-indigo-catkin |grep Ver
Version: 0.6.15-0trusty-20150921-0207-+0000

[dirk-thomas]

Please post much more information about the problem you are having (e.g. which repos, what is the state of the working copy, what commands do you run, what is the complete output of it, eventually further information about the git state).

[130s]

Ok next time the same issue occurs I'll post more info before I apply workaround.

[djiglesias]

As of November 2017 the --set-upstream flag has depreciated. To set your current branch to be tracked for changes you can use --track instead.

$ git branch hydro-devel --track remotes/origin/hydro-devel

[130s]

To set your current branch to be tracked for changes you can use --track instead.

Might not be the cace on Trusty yet? I get an error so still used --set-upstream (in the following case, hydro-devel already exists on remote).

git branch hydro-devel --track remotes/origin/hydro-devel
fatal: A branch named 'hydro-devel' already exists.

$ apt-cache policy git
git:
  Installed: 1:1.9.1-1ubuntu0.7
  Candidate: 1:1.9.1-1ubuntu0.7
  Version table:
 *** 1:1.9.1-1ubuntu0.7 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-security/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     1:1.9.1-1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/main amd64 Packages
$ git --version
git version 1.9.1

[dirk-thomas]

@djiglesias @130s If you are having an issue please create a new ticket for it with sufficient information to reproduce and consider proposing a fix. Commenting on an issue which has been closed for several years will likely not get any attention.