git-format-patch(1) =================== NAME ---- git-format-patch - Prepare patches for e-mail submission SYNOPSIS -------- [verse] 'git-format-patch' [-k] [-o | --stdout] [--thread] [--attach[=] | --inline[=]] [-s | --signoff] [] [-n | --numbered | -N | --no-numbered] [--start-number ] [--numbered-files] [--in-reply-to=Message-Id] [--suffix=.] [--ignore-if-in-upstream] [--subject-prefix=Subject-Prefix] [--cc=] [--cover-letter] [ | ] 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 linkgit:git-am[1]. There are two ways to specify which commits to operate on. 1. A single commit, , specifies that the commits leading to the tip of the current branch that are not in the history that leads to the to be output. 2. Generic expression (see "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]) means the commits in the specified range. A single commit, when interpreted as a expression, means "everything that leads to that commit", but if you write 'git format-patch ', the previous rule applies to that command line and you do not get "everything since the beginning of the time". If you want to format everything since project inception to one commit, say "git format-patch \--root " to make it clear that it is the latter case. 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 . Otherwise they are created in the current working directory. If -n is specified, instead of "[PATCH] Subject", the first line is formatted as "[PATCH n/m] Subject". 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[] -:: Limits the number of patches to prepare. -o|--output-directory :: Use to store the resulting files, instead of the current working directory. -n|--numbered:: Name output in '[PATCH n/m]' format. -N|--no-numbered:: Name output in '[PATCH]' format. --start-number :: Start numbering the patches at instead of 1. --numbered-files:: Output file names will be a simple number sequence without the default first line of the commit appended. Mutually exclusive with the --stdout option. -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[=]:: 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". --inline[=]:: 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:: Add In-Reply-To and References headers to make the second and subsequent mails appear as replies to the first. Also generates the Message-Id header to reference. --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 ... This will examine all patches reachable from but not from and compare them with the patches being generated, and any patch that matches is ignored. --subject-prefix=:: Instead of the standard '[PATCH]' prefix in the subject line, instead use '[]'. This allows for useful naming of a patch series, and can be combined with the --numbered option. --cc=:: Add a "Cc:" header to the email headers. This is in addition to any configured headers, and may be used multiple times. --cover-letter:: Generate a cover letter template. You still have to fill in a description, but the shortlog and the diffstat will be generated for you. --suffix=.:: Instead of using `.patch` as the suffix for generated filenames, use specified suffix. A common alternative is `--suffix=.txt`. + Note that you would need to include the leading dot `.` if you want a filename like `0001-description-of-my-change.patch`, and the first letter does not have to be a dot. Leaving it empty would not add any suffix. --no-binary:: Don't output contents of changes in binary files, just take note that they differ. Note that this disable the patch to be properly applied. By default the contents of changes in those files are encoded in the patch. CONFIGURATION ------------- You can specify extra mail header lines to be added to each message in the repository configuration, new defaults for the subject prefix and file suffix, and number patches when outputting more than one. ------------ [format] headers = "Organization: git-foo\n" subjectprefix = CHANGE suffix = .txt numbered = auto cc = ------------ 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 it. Note that the "patch" program does not 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 Documentation -------------- Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list . GIT --- Part of the linkgit:git[7] suite