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12905637 JH |
1 | git-symbolic-ref(1) |
2 | =================== | |
3 | ||
4 | NAME | |
5 | ---- | |
6 | git-symbolic-ref - read and modify symbolic refs | |
7 | ||
8 | SYNOPSIS | |
9 | -------- | |
10 | 'git-symbolic-ref' <name> [<ref>] | |
11 | ||
12 | DESCRIPTION | |
13 | ----------- | |
14 | Given one argument, reads which branch head the given symbolic | |
15 | ref refers to and outputs its path, relative to the `.git/` | |
16 | directory. Typically you would give `HEAD` as the <name> | |
17 | argument to see on which branch your working tree is on. | |
18 | ||
19 | Give two arguments, create or update a symbolic ref <name> to | |
20 | point at the given branch <ref>. | |
21 | ||
22b1c7ee AP |
22 | A symbolic ref is a regular file that stores a string that |
23 | begins with `ref: refs/`. For example, your `.git/HEAD` is | |
24 | a regular file whose contents is `ref: refs/heads/master`. | |
25 | ||
26 | NOTES | |
27 | ----- | |
28 | In the past, `.git/HEAD` was a symbolic link pointing at | |
29 | `refs/heads/master`. When we wanted to switch to another branch, | |
30 | we did `ln -sf refs/heads/newbranch .git/HEAD`, and when we wanted | |
12905637 JH |
31 | to find out which branch we are on, we did `readlink .git/HEAD`. |
32 | This was fine, and internally that is what still happens by | |
27dedf0c JH |
33 | default, but on platforms that do not have working symlinks, |
34 | or that do not have the `readlink(1)` command, this was a bit | |
12905637 | 35 | cumbersome. On some platforms, `ln -sf` does not even work as |
22b1c7ee AP |
36 | advertised (horrors). Therefore symbolic links are now deprecated |
37 | and symbolic refs are used by default. | |
12905637 JH |
38 | |
39 | Author | |
40 | ------ | |
41 | Written by Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net> | |
42 | ||
43 | GIT | |
44 | --- | |
45 | Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite |