Description for "hg:pull" is too vague

[krigstask]

hg:pull tells us:

"dir" parameter: local subdirectory with repository (optional, defaults to '.')

It is not a "subdirectory with repo". It is a "where-to-pull-from", be it a local directory, remote path (http:// or something) or an entry in hgrc/[paths].

Therefore I could hardly agree with dir="." as a sensible default: local repo won't be updated from remote one and build would fail with "unknown changeset" from Mercurial, because new changeset (reported to slave by master) will be absent in local repo, which is at least weird. I'd suggested dir="default", which results in usual "pull then update to ${revision}".

[osimons]

No, I don't think so. The way the command is written to use the regular working-dir input for shell execute, all it does is change current working directory to the local directory before running hg pull.

Seeing that the command does not take any arguments to locate remote repository, it is presumed that a [paths] default = .... setting is configured in the .hg/hgrc config file for the repository so that there is a default location for pulling.

That information could no doubt be added to the docs.

[krigstask]

Ah, sorry. What I wrote is true for 0.6b2 release, now it is fixed in source:trunk/biiten/build/hgtools.py (_dir is now handled differently). So maybe a little addition to documentation? Most people use at least beta, not the live svn version.

[osimons]

Like this perhaps:

doc/commands.txt

@@ -1129 +1129 @@
 
 As the command depends on a pre-existing repository, bitten-slave must be
 started with ``--build-dir=`` option for locating and working with the
-repository.
+repository. Also, seeing no remote location can be specified the repository
+``.hg/hgrc`` configuration file needs a ``[paths] default = ....`` location
+defined.
 
 Parameters
 ----------

I'll commit it unless someone wants to phrase it better.

[krigstask]

I mean, add something like

In latest release, 0.6b2, hg:pull behaves a little bit differently: it passes dir parameter directly to hg command, which then interprets it as a path (or alias) to where to pull from.

If you're planning to release beta3 or something in a short time, there's no need to bother, of course, but it really took me more than a day to investigate. Right now latest release behaves not like docs tell it should.

[osimons]

Replying to krigstask:

I mean, add something like...

Sorry, can't really do that as the docs are served straight for repository and follow latest source. It won't make sense to use current docs (for upcoming 0.6b3) to document flaws in earlier betas.

[krigstask]

I see... Sorry for report then, close it somehow, and let's hope nobody would fall into that and beta3 would become ready soon.

Thank you for responding.

[osimons]

Committed in [888:889] for active development lines. A continuation of the "Improvements to the hg:pull command" already mentioned in milestone:0.6 docs for upcoming release.