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-rw-r--r--Documentation/git-branch.txt147
1 files changed, 104 insertions, 43 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.txt b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
index 603f87f3b5..ae201deb7a 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-branch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
@@ -8,30 +8,42 @@ git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
-'git-branch' [--color | --no-color] [-r | -a]
- [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
-'git-branch' [--track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
-'git-branch' (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
-'git-branch' (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
+'git branch' [--color | --no-color] [-r | -a]
+ [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
+ [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]]
+'git branch' [--track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
+'git branch' (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
+'git branch' (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
DESCRIPTION
-----------
-With no arguments given a list of existing branches
-will be shown, the current branch will be highlighted with an asterisk.
-Option `-r` causes the remote-tracking branches to be listed,
-and option `-a` shows both.
-In its second form, a new branch named <branchname> will be created.
+With no arguments, existing branches are listed and the current branch will
+be highlighted with an asterisk. Option `-r` causes the remote-tracking
+branches to be listed, and option `-a` shows both.
+
+With `--contains`, shows only the branches that contain the named commit
+(in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the
+named commit). With `--merged`, only branches merged into the named
+commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are reachable from the named
+commit) will be listed. With `--no-merged` only branches not merged into
+the named commit will be listed. If the <commit> argument is missing it
+defaults to 'HEAD' (i.e. the tip of the current branch).
+
+In the command's second form, a new branch named <branchname> will be created.
It will start out with a head equal to the one given as <start-point>.
If no <start-point> is given, the branch will be created with a head
equal to that of the currently checked out branch.
-When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git can setup the
-branch so that gitlink:git-pull[1] will appropriately merge from that
-remote branch. If this behavior is desired, it is possible to make it
-the default using the global `branch.autosetupmerge` configuration
-flag. Otherwise, it can be chosen per-branch using the `--track`
-and `--no-track` options.
+Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
+working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the
+new branch.
+
+When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git sets up the
+branch so that 'git-pull' will appropriately merge from
+the remote branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
+`branch.autosetupmerge` configuration flag. That setting can be
+overridden by using the `--track` and `--no-track` options.
With a '-m' or '-M' option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
@@ -41,32 +53,37 @@ to happen.
With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted. You may
specify more than one branch for deletion. If the branch currently
-has a ref log then the ref log will also be deleted. Use -r together with -d
-to delete remote-tracking branches.
+has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
+
+Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
+only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
+in the remote repository or if 'git-fetch' was configured not to fetch
+them again. See also the 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for a
+way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
OPTIONS
-------
-d::
- Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged.
+ Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in HEAD.
-D::
- Delete a branch irrespective of its index status.
+ Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
-l::
- Create the branch's ref log. This activates recording of
- all changes to made the branch ref, enabling use of date
- based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@{yesterday}".
+ Create the branch's reflog. This activates recording of
+ all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
+ based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
-f::
- Force the creation of a new branch even if it means deleting
- a branch that already exists with the same name.
+ Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists
+ already. Without `-f` 'git-branch' refuses to change an existing branch.
-m::
Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
-M::
- Move/rename a branch even if the new branchname already exists.
+ Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
--color::
Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote branches.
@@ -82,19 +99,50 @@ OPTIONS
List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
-v::
- Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head.
+--verbose::
+ Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
+ relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print
+ the name of the upstream branch, as well.
--abbrev=<length>::
- Alter minimum display length for sha1 in output listing,
- default value is 7.
+ Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing.
+ The default value is 7.
--no-abbrev::
- Display the full sha1s in output listing rather than abbreviating them.
+ Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
+
+-t::
+--track::
+ When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
+ start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
+ configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
+ two branches in `git status` and `git branch -v`. Furthermore,
+ it directs `git pull` without arguments to pull from the
+ upstream when the new branch is checked out.
++
+This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote branch.
+Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you
+want `git checkout` and `git branch` to always behave as if '--no-track'
+were given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
+start-point is either a local or remote branch.
+
+--no-track::
+ Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
+ branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
+
+--contains <commit>::
+ Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
+
+--merged::
+ Only list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
+
+--no-merged::
+ Do not list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
<branchname>::
The name of the branch to create or delete.
The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
- gitlink:git-check-ref-format[1]. Some of these checks
+ linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1]. Some of these checks
may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
<start-point>::
@@ -107,13 +155,13 @@ OPTIONS
<newbranch>::
The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
- <branchname> applies.
+ <branchname> apply.
Examples
--------
-Start development off of a known tag::
+Start development from a known tag::
+
------------
$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
@@ -125,31 +173,45 @@ $ git checkout my2.6.14
<1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
"checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
-Delete unneeded branch::
+Delete an unneeded branch::
+
------------
$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
$ cd my.git
-$ git branch -d -r todo html man <1>
-$ git branch -D test <2>
+$ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man <1>
+$ git branch -D test <2>
------------
+
-<1> delete remote-tracking branches "todo", "html", "man"
-<2> delete "test" branch even if the "master" branch does not have all
-commits from todo branch.
+<1> Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next
+'fetch' or 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to.
+See linkgit:git-fetch[1].
+<2> Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch
+is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
Notes
-----
-If you are creating a branch that you want to immediately checkout, it's
+If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is
easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
a branch and check it out with a single command.
+The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serve three related
+but different purposes:
+
+- `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
+ special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
+ branches contain the specified <commit>.
+
+- `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
+ since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
+
+- `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
+ into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
Author
------
-Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
+Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Documentation
--------------
@@ -157,5 +219,4 @@ Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
GIT
---
-Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
-
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite