git-format-patch(1) =================== NAME ---- git-format-patch - Prepare patches for e-mail submission SYNOPSIS -------- [verse] 'git format-patch' [-k] [(-o|--output-directory) <dir> | --stdout] [--no-thread | --thread[=<style>]] [(--attach|--inline)[=<boundary>] | --no-attach] [-s | --signoff] [--signature=<signature> | --no-signature] [-n | --numbered | -N | --no-numbered] [--start-number <n>] [--numbered-files] [--in-reply-to=Message-Id] [--suffix=.<sfx>] [--ignore-if-in-upstream] [--subject-prefix=Subject-Prefix] [--to=<email>] [--cc=<email>] [--cover-letter] [<common diff options>] [ <since> | <revision range> ] DESCRIPTION ----------- Prepare each commit with its patch in one file per commit, formatted to resemble UNIX mailbox format. The output of this command is convenient for e-mail submission or for use with 'git am'. There are two ways to specify which commits to operate on. 1. A single commit, <since>, specifies that the commits leading to the tip of the current branch that are not in the history that leads to the <since> to be output. 2. Generic <revision range> expression (see "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]) means the commits in the specified range. The first rule takes precedence in the case of a single <commit>. To apply the second rule, i.e., format everything since the beginning of history up until <commit>, use the '\--root' option: `git format-patch \--root <commit>`. If you want to format only <commit> itself, you can do this with `git format-patch -1 <commit>`. By default, each output file is numbered sequentially from 1, and uses the first line of the commit message (massaged for pathname safety) as the filename. With the `--numbered-files` option, the output file names will only be numbers, without the first line of the commit appended. The names of the output files are printed to standard output, unless the `--stdout` option is specified. If `-o` is specified, output files are created in <dir>. Otherwise they are created in the current working directory. By default, the subject of a single patch is "[PATCH] First Line" and the subject when multiple patches are output is "[PATCH n/m] First Line". To force 1/1 to be added for a single patch, use `-n`. To omit patch numbers from the subject, use `-N`. If given `--thread`, `git-format-patch` will generate `In-Reply-To` and `References` headers to make the second and subsequent patch mails appear as replies to the first mail; this also generates a `Message-Id` header to reference. OPTIONS ------- :git-format-patch: 1 include::diff-options.txt[] -<n>:: Limits the number of patches to prepare. -o <dir>:: --output-directory <dir>:: Use <dir> to store the resulting files, instead of the current working directory. -n:: --numbered:: Name output in '[PATCH n/m]' format, even with a single patch. -N:: --no-numbered:: Name output in '[PATCH]' format. --start-number <n>:: Start numbering the patches at <n> instead of 1. --numbered-files:: Output file names will be a simple number sequence without the default first line of the commit appended. -k:: --keep-subject:: Do not strip/add '[PATCH]' from the first line of the commit log message. -s:: --signoff:: Add `Signed-off-by:` line to the commit message, using the committer identity of yourself. --stdout:: Print all commits to the standard output in mbox format, instead of creating a file for each one. --attach[=<boundary>]:: Create multipart/mixed attachment, the first part of which is the commit message and the patch itself in the second part, with `Content-Disposition: attachment`. --no-attach:: Disable the creation of an attachment, overriding the configuration setting. --inline[=<boundary>]:: Create multipart/mixed attachment, the first part of which is the commit message and the patch itself in the second part, with `Content-Disposition: inline`. --thread[=<style>]:: --no-thread:: Controls addition of `In-Reply-To` and `References` headers to make the second and subsequent mails appear as replies to the first. Also controls generation of the `Message-Id` header to reference. + The optional <style> argument can be either `shallow` or `deep`. 'shallow' threading makes every mail a reply to the head of the series, where the head is chosen from the cover letter, the `\--in-reply-to`, and the first patch mail, in this order. 'deep' threading makes every mail a reply to the previous one. + The default is `--no-thread`, unless the 'format.thread' configuration is set. If `--thread` is specified without a style, it defaults to the style specified by 'format.thread' if any, or else `shallow`. + Beware that the default for 'git send-email' is to thread emails itself. If you want `git format-patch` to take care of threading, you will want to ensure that threading is disabled for `git send-email`. --in-reply-to=Message-Id:: Make the first mail (or all the mails with `--no-thread`) appear as a reply to the given Message-Id, which avoids breaking threads to provide a new patch series. --ignore-if-in-upstream:: Do not include a patch that matches a commit in <until>..<since>. This will examine all patches reachable from <since> but not from <until> and compare them with the patches being generated, and any patch that matches is ignored. --subject-prefix=<Subject-Prefix>:: Instead of the standard '[PATCH]' prefix in the subject line, instead use '[<Subject-Prefix>]'. This allows for useful naming of a patch series, and can be combined with the `--numbered` option. --to=<email>:: Add a `To:` header to the email headers. This is in addition to any configured headers, and may be used multiple times. --cc=<email>:: Add a `Cc:` header to the email headers. This is in addition to any configured headers, and may be used multiple times. --add-header=<header>:: Add an arbitrary header to the email headers. This is in addition to any configured headers, and may be used multiple times. For example, `--add-header="Organization: git-foo"` --cover-letter:: In addition to the patches, generate a cover letter file containing the shortlog and the overall diffstat. You can fill in a description in the file before sending it out. --[no]-signature=<signature>:: Add a signature to each message produced. Per RFC 3676 the signature is separated from the body by a line with '-- ' on it. If the signature option is omitted the signature defaults to the git version number. --suffix=.<sfx>:: Instead of using `.patch` as the suffix for generated filenames, use specified suffix. A common alternative is `--suffix=.txt`. Leaving this empty will remove the `.patch` suffix. + Note that the leading character does not have to be a dot; for example, you can use `--suffix=-patch` to get `0001-description-of-my-change-patch`. --no-binary:: Do not output contents of changes in binary files, instead display a notice that those files changed. Patches generated using this option cannot be applied properly, but they are still useful for code review. --root:: Treat the revision argument as a <revision range>, even if it is just a single commit (that would normally be treated as a <since>). Note that root commits included in the specified range are always formatted as creation patches, independently of this flag. CONFIGURATION ------------- You can specify extra mail header lines to be added to each message, defaults for the subject prefix and file suffix, number patches when outputting more than one patch, add "To" or "Cc:" headers, configure attachments, and sign off patches with configuration variables. ------------ [format] headers = "Organization: git-foo\n" subjectprefix = CHANGE suffix = .txt numbered = auto to = <email> cc = <email> attach [ = mime-boundary-string ] signoff = true ------------ EXAMPLES -------- * Extract commits between revisions R1 and R2, and apply them on top of the current branch using 'git am' to cherry-pick them: + ------------ $ git format-patch -k --stdout R1..R2 | git am -3 -k ------------ * Extract all commits which are in the current branch but not in the origin branch: + ------------ $ git format-patch origin ------------ + For each commit a separate file is created in the current directory. * Extract all commits that lead to 'origin' since the inception of the project: + ------------ $ git format-patch --root origin ------------ * The same as the previous one: + ------------ $ git format-patch -M -B origin ------------ + Additionally, it detects and handles renames and complete rewrites intelligently to produce a renaming patch. A renaming patch reduces the amount of text output, and generally makes it easier to review. Note that non-git "patch" programs won't understand renaming patches, so use it only when you know the recipient uses git to apply your patch. * Extract three topmost commits from the current branch and format them as e-mailable patches: + ------------ $ git format-patch -3 ------------ SEE ALSO -------- linkgit:git-am[1], linkgit:git-send-email[1] Author ------ Written by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> Documentation -------------- Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>. GIT --- Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite