clone: add --branch option to select a different HEAD

We currently point the HEAD of a newly cloned repo to the
same ref as the parent repo's HEAD. While a user can then
"git checkout -b foo origin/foo" whichever branch they
choose, it is more convenient and more efficient to tell
clone which branch you want in the first place.

Based on a patch by Kirill A. Korinskiy.

Signed-off-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

Documentation/git-clone.txt

@@ -127,6 +127,13 @@ objects from the source repository into a pack in the cloned repository.
 	Instead of using the remote name 'origin' to keep track
 	of the upstream repository, use <name>.
 
+--branch <name>::
+-b <name>::
+	Instead of pointing the newly created HEAD to the branch pointed
+	to by the cloned repositoroy's HEAD, point to <name> branch
+	instead. In a non-bare repository, this is the branch that will
+	be checked out.
+
 --upload-pack <upload-pack>::
 -u <upload-pack>::
 	When given, and the repository to clone from is accessed

builtin-clone.c

@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ static int option_quiet, option_no_checkout, option_bare, option_mirror;
 static int option_local, option_no_hardlinks, option_shared;
 static char *option_template, *option_reference, *option_depth;
 static char *option_origin = NULL;
+static char *option_branch = NULL;
 static char *option_upload_pack = "git-upload-pack";
 static int option_verbose;
 
@@ -65,6 +66,8 @@ static struct option builtin_clone_options[] = {
 		   "reference repository"),
 	OPT_STRING('o', "origin", &option_origin, "branch",
 		   "use <branch> instead of 'origin' to track upstream"),
+	OPT_STRING('b', "branch", &option_branch, "branch",
+		   "checkout <branch> instead of the remote's HEAD"),
 	OPT_STRING('u', "upload-pack", &option_upload_pack, "path",
 		   "path to git-upload-pack on the remote"),
 	OPT_STRING(0, "depth", &option_depth, "depth",
@@ -347,7 +350,9 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	const char *repo_name, *repo, *work_tree, *git_dir;
 	char *path, *dir;
 	int dest_exists;
-	const struct ref *refs, *head_points_at, *remote_head, *mapped_refs;
+	const struct ref *refs, *remote_head, *mapped_refs;
+	const struct ref *remote_head_points_at;
+	const struct ref *our_head_points_at;
 	struct strbuf key = STRBUF_INIT, value = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf branch_top = STRBUF_INIT, reflog_msg = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct transport *transport = NULL;
@@ -519,11 +524,31 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		mapped_refs = write_remote_refs(refs, refspec, reflog_msg.buf);
 
 		remote_head = find_ref_by_name(refs, "HEAD");
-		head_points_at = guess_remote_head(remote_head, mapped_refs, 0);
+		remote_head_points_at =
+			guess_remote_head(remote_head, mapped_refs, 0);
+
+		if (option_branch) {
+			struct strbuf head = STRBUF_INIT;
+			strbuf_addstr(&head, src_ref_prefix);
+			strbuf_addstr(&head, option_branch);
+			our_head_points_at =
+				find_ref_by_name(mapped_refs, head.buf);
+			strbuf_release(&head);
+
+			if (!our_head_points_at) {
+				warning("Remote branch %s not found in "
+					"upstream %s, using HEAD instead",
+					option_branch, option_origin);
+				our_head_points_at = remote_head_points_at;
+			}
+		}
+		else
+			our_head_points_at = remote_head_points_at;
 	}
 	else {
 		warning("You appear to have cloned an empty repository.");
-		head_points_at = NULL;
+		our_head_points_at = NULL;
+		remote_head_points_at = NULL;
 		remote_head = NULL;
 		option_no_checkout = 1;
 		if (!option_bare)
@@ -531,41 +556,35 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 					      "refs/heads/master");
 	}
 
-	if (head_points_at) {
+	if (remote_head_points_at && !option_bare) {
-		/* Local default branch link */
-		create_symref("HEAD", head_points_at->name, NULL);
-
-		if (!option_bare) {
 		struct strbuf head_ref = STRBUF_INIT;
-			const char *head = head_points_at->name;
-
-			if (!prefixcmp(head, "refs/heads/"))
-				head += 11;
-
-			/* Set up the initial local branch */
-
-			/* Local branch initial value */
-			update_ref(reflog_msg.buf, "HEAD",
-				   head_points_at->old_sha1,
-				   NULL, 0, DIE_ON_ERR);
-
 		strbuf_addstr(&head_ref, branch_top.buf);
 		strbuf_addstr(&head_ref, "HEAD");
-
-			/* Remote branch link */
 		create_symref(head_ref.buf,
-				      head_points_at->peer_ref->name,
+			      remote_head_points_at->peer_ref->name,
 			      reflog_msg.buf);
+	}
 
+	if (our_head_points_at) {
+		/* Local default branch link */
+		create_symref("HEAD", our_head_points_at->name, NULL);
+		if (!option_bare) {
+			const char *head = skip_prefix(our_head_points_at->name,
+						       "refs/heads/");
+			update_ref(reflog_msg.buf, "HEAD",
+				   our_head_points_at->old_sha1,
+				   NULL, 0, DIE_ON_ERR);
 			install_branch_config(0, head, option_origin,
-					      head_points_at->name);
+					      our_head_points_at->name);
 		}
 	} else if (remote_head) {
 		/* Source had detached HEAD pointing somewhere. */
-		if (!option_bare)
+		if (!option_bare) {
 			update_ref(reflog_msg.buf, "HEAD",
 				   remote_head->old_sha1,
 				   NULL, REF_NODEREF, DIE_ON_ERR);
+			our_head_points_at = remote_head;
+		}
 	} else {
 		/* Nothing to checkout out */
 		if (!option_no_checkout)
@@ -597,7 +616,7 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		opts.src_index = &the_index;
 		opts.dst_index = &the_index;
 
-		tree = parse_tree_indirect(remote_head->old_sha1);
+		tree = parse_tree_indirect(our_head_points_at->old_sha1);
 		parse_tree(tree);
 		init_tree_desc(&t, tree->buffer, tree->size);
 		unpack_trees(1, &t, &opts);

t/t5706-clone-branch.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='clone --branch option'
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+check_HEAD() {
+	echo refs/heads/"$1" >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref HEAD >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+}
+
+check_file() {
+	echo "$1" >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect file
+}
+
+test_expect_success 'setup' '
+	mkdir parent &&
+	(cd parent && git init &&
+	 echo one >file && git add file && git commit -m one &&
+	 git checkout -b two &&
+	 echo two >file && git add file && git commit -m two &&
+	 git checkout master)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'vanilla clone chooses HEAD' '
+	git clone parent clone &&
+	(cd clone &&
+	 check_HEAD master &&
+	 check_file one
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'clone -b chooses specified branch' '
+	git clone -b two parent clone-two &&
+	(cd clone-two &&
+	 check_HEAD two &&
+	 check_file two
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'clone -b sets up tracking' '
+	(cd clone-two &&
+	 echo origin >expect &&
+	 git config branch.two.remote >actual &&
+	 echo refs/heads/two >>expect &&
+	 git config branch.two.merge >>actual &&
+	 test_cmp expect actual
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'clone -b does not munge remotes/origin/HEAD' '
+	(cd clone-two &&
+	 echo refs/remotes/origin/master >expect &&
+	 git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD >actual &&
+	 test_cmp expect actual
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'clone -b with bogus branch chooses HEAD' '
+	git clone -b bogus parent clone-bogus &&
+	(cd clone-bogus &&
+	 check_HEAD master &&
+	 check_file one
+	)
+'
+
+test_done