Documentation/git-branch.txt

   1 git-branch(1)
   2 =============
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
   7
   8 SYNOPSIS
   9 --------
  10 [verse]
  11 'git-branch' [--color | --no-color] [-r | -a] [--merged | --no-merged]
  12            [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
  13            [--contains <commit>]
  14 'git-branch' [--track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
  15 'git-branch' (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
  16 'git-branch' (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
  17
  18 DESCRIPTION
  19 -----------
  20 With no arguments given a list of existing branches
  21 will be shown, the current branch will be highlighted with an asterisk.
  22 Option `-r` causes the remote-tracking branches to be listed,
  23 and option `-a` shows both.
  24 With `--contains <commit>`, shows only the branches that
  25 contains the named commit (in other words, the branches whose
  26 tip commits are descendant of the named commit).
  27 With `--merged`, only branches merged into HEAD will be listed, and
  28 with `--no-merged` only branches not merged into HEAD will be listed.
  29
  30 In its second form, a new branch named <branchname> will be created.
  31 It will start out with a head equal to the one given as <start-point>.
  32 If no <start-point> is given, the branch will be created with a head
  33 equal to that of the currently checked out branch.
  34
  35 Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
  36 working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the
  37 new branch.
  38
  39 When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git sets up the
  40 branch so that linkgit:git-pull[1] will appropriately merge from
  41 the remote branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
  42 `branch.autosetupmerge` configuration flag. That setting can be
  43 overridden by using the `--track` and `--no-track` options.
  44
  45 With a '-m' or '-M' option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
  46 If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
  47 <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
  48 renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
  49 to happen.
  50
  51 With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted.  You may
  52 specify more than one branch for deletion.  If the branch currently
  53 has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
  54
  55 Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
  56 only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
  57 in remote repository or if linkgit:git-fetch[1] was configured not to fetch
  58 them again. See also 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for way to
  59 clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
  60
  61
  62 OPTIONS
  63 -------
  64 -d::
  65         Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in HEAD.
  66
  67 -D::
  68         Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
  69
  70 -l::
  71         Create the branch's reflog.  This activates recording of
  72         all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
  73         based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
  74
  75 -f::
  76         Force the creation of a new branch even if it means deleting
  77         a branch that already exists with the same name.
  78
  79 -m::
  80         Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
  81
  82 -M::
  83         Move/rename a branch even if the new branchname already exists.
  84
  85 --color::
  86         Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote branches.
  87
  88 --no-color::
  89         Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
  90         default to color output.
  91
  92 -r::
  93         List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
  94
  95 -a::
  96         List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
  97
  98 -v, --verbose::
  99         Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head.
 100
 101 --abbrev=<length>::
 102         Alter minimum display length for sha1 in output listing,
 103         default value is 7.
 104
 105 --no-abbrev::
 106         Display the full sha1s in output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 107
 108 --track::
 109         When creating a new branch, set up configuration so that git-pull
 110         will automatically retrieve data from the start point, which must be
 111         a branch. Use this if you always pull from the same upstream branch
 112         into the new branch, and if you don't want to use "git pull
 113         <repository> <refspec>" explicitly. This behavior is the default
 114         when the start point is a remote branch. Set the
 115         branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you want
 116         git-checkout and git-branch to always behave as if '--no-track' were
 117         given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 118         start-point is either a local or remote branch.
 119
 120 --no-track::
 121         Ignore the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable.
 122
 123 --contains <commit>::
 124         Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
 125
 126 --merged::
 127         Only list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
 128
 129 --no-merged::
 130         Do not list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
 131
 132 <branchname>::
 133         The name of the branch to create or delete.
 134         The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 135         linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 136         may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 137
 138 <start-point>::
 139         The new branch will be created with a HEAD equal to this.  It may
 140         be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this option
 141         is omitted, the current branch is assumed.
 142
 143 <oldbranch>::
 144         The name of an existing branch to rename.
 145
 146 <newbranch>::
 147         The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 148         <branchname> applies.
 149
 150
 151 Examples
 152 --------
 153
 154 Start development off of a known tag::
 155 +
 156 ------------
 157 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 158 $ cd my2.6
 159 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 160 $ git checkout my2.6.14
 161 ------------
 162 +
 163 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 164 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 165
 166 Delete unneeded branch::
 167 +
 168 ------------
 169 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 170 $ cd my.git
 171 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 172 $ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 173 ------------
 174 +
 175 <1> Delete remote-tracking branches "todo", "html", "man". Next 'fetch' or
 176 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to. See
 177 linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 178 <2> Delete "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch is
 179 currently checked out) does not have all commits from test branch.
 180
 181
 182 Notes
 183 -----
 184
 185 If you are creating a branch that you want to immediately checkout, it's
 186 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 187 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 188
 189 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serves three related
 190 but different purposes:
 191
 192 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 193   special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 194   branches contain the specified <commit>.
 195
 196 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 197   since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 198
 199 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 200   into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 201
 202 Author
 203 ------
 204 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
 205
 206 Documentation
 207 --------------
 208 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 209
 210 GIT
 211 ---
 212 Part of the linkgit:git[7] suite