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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt | 83 |
1 files changed, 62 insertions, 21 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt b/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt index 034223cc5a..205d83dd0b 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt @@ -3,52 +3,93 @@ git-check-ref-format(1) NAME ---- -git-check-ref-format - Make sure ref name is well formed +git-check-ref-format - Ensures that a reference name is well formed SYNOPSIS -------- +[verse] 'git check-ref-format' <refname> +'git check-ref-format' --print <refname> +'git check-ref-format' --branch <branchname-shorthand> DESCRIPTION ----------- -Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits non-zero if -it is not. +Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits with a non-zero +status if it is not. A reference is used in git to specify branches and tags. A -branch head is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` directory, and -a tag is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory. git -imposes the following rules on how refs are named: +branch head is stored under the `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` directory, and +a tag is stored under the `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory (or, if refs +are packed by `git gc`, as entries in the `$GIT_DIR/packed-refs` file). +git imposes the following rules on how references are named: -. It can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory) +. They can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory) grouping, but no slash-separated component can begin with a - dot `.`; + dot `.`. -. It cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere; +. They must contain at least one `/`. This enforces the presence of a + category like `heads/`, `tags/` etc. but the actual names are not + restricted. -. It cannot have ASCII control character (i.e. bytes whose +. They cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere. + +. They cannot have ASCII control characters (i.e. bytes whose values are lower than \040, or \177 `DEL`), space, tilde `~`, caret `{caret}`, colon `:`, question-mark `?`, asterisk `*`, - or open bracket `[` anywhere; + or open bracket `[` anywhere. + +. They cannot end with a slash `/` nor a dot `.`. + +. They cannot end with the sequence `.lock`. -. It cannot end with a slash `/`. +. They cannot contain a sequence `@{`. -These rules makes it easy for shell script based tools to parse -refnames, pathname expansion by the shell when a refname is used +. They cannot contain a `\`. + +These rules make it easy for shell script based tools to parse +reference names, pathname expansion by the shell when a reference name is used unquoted (by mistake), and also avoids ambiguities in certain -refname expressions (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]). Namely: +reference name expressions (see linkgit:gitrevisions[7]): -. double-dot `..` are often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some - context this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in - ref1 and in ref2). +. A double-dot `..` is often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some + contexts this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in + `ref1` and in `ref2`). -. tilde `~` and caret `{caret}` are used to introduce postfix +. A tilde `~` and caret `{caret}` are used to introduce the postfix 'nth parent' and 'peel onion' operation. -. colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s +. A colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s value and store it in dstref" in fetch and push operations. It may also be used to select a specific object such as with - 'git-cat-file': "git cat-file blob v1.3.3:refs.c". + 'git cat-file': "git cat-file blob v1.3.3:refs.c". + +. at-open-brace `@{` is used as a notation to access a reflog entry. + +With the `--print` option, if 'refname' is acceptable, it prints the +canonicalized name of a hypothetical reference with that name. That is, +it prints 'refname' with any extra `/` characters removed. + +With the `--branch` option, it expands the ``previous branch syntax'' +`@{-n}`. For example, `@{-1}` is a way to refer the last branch you +were on. This option should be used by porcelains to accept this +syntax anywhere a branch name is expected, so they can act as if you +typed the branch name. + +EXAMPLES +-------- + +* Print the name of the previous branch: ++ +------------ +$ git check-ref-format --branch @{-1} +------------ +* Determine the reference name to use for a new branch: ++ +------------ +$ ref=$(git check-ref-format --print "refs/heads/$newbranch") || +die "we do not like '$newbranch' as a branch name." +------------ GIT --- |