ref-filter: fallback on alphabetical comparison

In ref-filter.c the comparison of refs while sorting is handled by
cmp_ref_sorting() function. When sorting as per numerical values
(e.g. --sort=objectsize) there is no fallback comparison when both
refs hold the same value. This can cause unexpected results (i.e. the
order of listing refs with equal values cannot be pre-determined) as
pointed out by Johannes Sixt ($gmane/280117).

Hence, fallback to alphabetical comparison based on the refname
whenever the other criterion is equal.

A test in t3203 was expecting that branch-two sorts before HEAD, which
happened to be how qsort(3) on Linux sorted the array, but (1) that
outcome was not even guaranteed, and (2) once we start breaking ties
with the refname, "HEAD" should sort before "branch-two" so the
original expectation was inconsistent with the criterion we now use.

Update it to match the new world order, which we can now depend on
being stable.

Helped-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Reported-by: Johannes Sixt <j6t@kdbg.org>
Signed-off-by: Karthik Nayak <Karthik.188@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index dbd8fcec24da01f682460d42110b06b3c33b599f..f9c9d3692c33c106d32a902279a5942b5eb812fa 100644 (file)
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -1483,7 +1483,7 @@ static int cmp_ref_sorting(struct ref_sorting *s, struct ref_array_item *a, stru
                if (va->ul < vb->ul)
                        cmp = -1;
                else if (va->ul == vb->ul)
-                       cmp = 0;
+                       cmp = strcmp(a->refname, b->refname);
                else
                        cmp = 1;
        }

diff --git a/t/t3203-branch-output.sh b/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
index f1ae5ff662efa3941748f29a7958f23d9519dda1..2aa199607e193aac37a4d6d9a358fdd0c642be97 100755 (executable)
--- a/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
+++ b/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@ EOF
 
 test_expect_success 'git branch `--sort` option' '
        cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
-         branch-two
        * (HEAD detached from fromtag)
+         branch-two
          branch-one
          master
        EOF