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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/pull-fetch-param.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/pull-fetch-param.txt | 65 |
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diff --git a/Documentation/pull-fetch-param.txt b/Documentation/pull-fetch-param.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..8d4e950abc --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/pull-fetch-param.txt @@ -0,0 +1,65 @@ +<repository>:: + The "remote" repository that is the source of a fetch + or pull operation. See the section <<URLS,GIT URLS>> below. + +<refspec>:: + The canonical format of a <refspec> parameter is + `+?<src>:<dst>`; that is, an optional plus `+`, followed + by the source ref, followed by a colon `:`, followed by + the destination ref. ++ +The remote ref that matches <src> +is fetched, and if <dst> is not empty string, the local +ref that matches it is fast forwarded using <src>. +Again, if the optional plus `+` is used, the local ref +is updated even if it does not result in a fast forward +update. ++ +[NOTE] +If the remote branch from which you want to pull is +modified in non-linear ways such as being rewound and +rebased frequently, then a pull will attempt a merge with +an older version of itself, likely conflict, and fail. +It is under these conditions that you would want to use +the `+` sign to indicate non-fast-forward updates will +be needed. There is currently no easy way to determine +or declare that a branch will be made available in a +repository with this behavior; the pulling user simply +must know this is the expected usage pattern for a branch. ++ +[NOTE] +You never do your own development on branches that appear +on the right hand side of a <refspec> colon on `Pull:` lines; +they are to be updated by `git-fetch`. If you intend to do +development derived from a remote branch `B`, have a `Pull:` +line to track it (i.e. `Pull: B:remote-B`), and have a separate +branch `my-B` to do your development on top of it. The latter +is created by `git branch my-B remote-B` (or its equivalent `git +checkout -b my-B remote-B`). Run `git fetch` to keep track of +the progress of the remote side, and when you see something new +on the remote branch, merge it into your development branch with +`git pull . remote-B`, while you are on `my-B` branch. ++ +[NOTE] +There is a difference between listing multiple <refspec> +directly on `git-pull` command line and having multiple +`Pull:` <refspec> lines for a <repository> and running +`git-pull` command without any explicit <refspec> parameters. +<refspec> listed explicitly on the command line are always +merged into the current branch after fetching. In other words, +if you list more than one remote refs, you would be making +an Octopus. While `git-pull` run without any explicit <refspec> +parameter takes default <refspec>s from `Pull:` lines, it +merges only the first <refspec> found into the current branch, +after fetching all the remote refs. This is because making an +Octopus from remote refs is rarely done, while keeping track +of multiple remote heads in one-go by fetching more than one +is often useful. ++ +Some short-cut notations are also supported. ++ +* `tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`; + it requests fetching everything up to the given tag. +* A parameter <ref> without a colon is equivalent to + <ref>: when pulling/fetching, so it merges <ref> into the current + branch without storing the remote branch anywhere locally |