def _AddMergeFromStringMethod(message_descriptor, cls):
  """Helper for _AddMessageMethods()."""
  def MergeFromString(self, serialized):
    length = len(serialized)
    try:
      if self._InternalParse(serialized, 0, length) != length:
        # The only reason _InternalParse would return early is if it
        # encountered an end-group tag.
        raise message_mod.DecodeError('Unexpected end-group tag.')
    except (IndexError, TypeError):
      # Now ord(buf[p:p+1]) == ord('') gets TypeError.
      raise message_mod.DecodeError('Truncated message.')
    except struct.error as e:
      raise message_mod.DecodeError(e)
    return length   # Return this for legacy reasons.
  cls.MergeFromString = MergeFromString

  local_ReadTag = decoder.ReadTag
  local_SkipField = decoder.SkipField
  decoders_by_tag = cls._decoders_by_tag
  is_proto3 = message_descriptor.syntax == "proto3"

  def InternalParse(self, buffer, pos, end):
    self._Modified()
    field_dict = self._fields
    unknown_field_list = self._unknown_fields
    while pos != end:
      (tag_bytes, new_pos) = local_ReadTag(buffer, pos)
      field_decoder, field_desc = decoders_by_tag.get(tag_bytes, (None, None))
      if field_decoder is None:
        value_start_pos = new_pos
        new_pos = local_SkipField(buffer, new_pos, end, tag_bytes)
        if new_pos == -1:
          return pos
        if not is_proto3:
          if not unknown_field_list:
            unknown_field_list = self._unknown_fields = []
          unknown_field_list.append(
              (tag_bytes, buffer[value_start_pos:new_pos]))
        pos = new_pos
      else:
        pos = field_decoder(buffer, new_pos, end, self, field_dict)
        if field_desc:
          self._UpdateOneofState(field_desc)
    return pos
  cls._InternalParse = InternalParse