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::
  99 --verbose::
 100         Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head.
 101
 102 --abbrev=<length>::
 103         Alter minimum display length for sha1 in output listing,
 104         default value is 7.
 105
 106 --no-abbrev::
 107         Display the full sha1s in output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 108
 109 --track::
 110         When creating a new branch, set up configuration so that git-pull
 111         will automatically retrieve data from the start point, which must be
 112         a branch. Use this if you always pull from the same upstream branch
 113         into the new branch, and if you don't want to use "git pull
 114         <repository> <refspec>" explicitly. This behavior is the default
 115         when the start point is a remote branch. Set the
 116         branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you want
 117         git-checkout and git-branch to always behave as if '--no-track' were
 118         given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 119         start-point is either a local or remote branch.
 120
 121 --no-track::
 122         Ignore the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable.
 123
 124 --contains <commit>::
 125         Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
 126
 127 --merged::
 128         Only list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
 129
 130 --no-merged::
 131         Do not list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
 132
 133 <branchname>::
 134         The name of the branch to create or delete.
 135         The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 136         linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 137         may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 138
 139 <start-point>::
 140         The new branch will be created with a HEAD equal to this.  It may
 141         be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this option
 142         is omitted, the current branch is assumed.
 143
 144 <oldbranch>::
 145         The name of an existing branch to rename.
 146
 147 <newbranch>::
 148         The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 149         <branchname> applies.
 150
 151
 152 Examples
 153 --------
 154
 155 Start development off of a known tag::
 156 +
 157 ------------
 158 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 159 $ cd my2.6
 160 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 161 $ git checkout my2.6.14
 162 ------------
 163 +
 164 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 165 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 166
 167 Delete unneeded branch::
 168 +
 169 ------------
 170 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 171 $ cd my.git
 172 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 173 $ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 174 ------------
 175 +
 176 <1> Delete remote-tracking branches "todo", "html", "man". Next 'fetch' or
 177 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to. See
 178 linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 179 <2> Delete "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch is
 180 currently checked out) does not have all commits from test branch.
 181
 182
 183 Notes
 184 -----
 185
 186 If you are creating a branch that you want to immediately checkout, it's
 187 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 188 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 189
 190 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serves three related
 191 but different purposes:
 192
 193 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 194   special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 195   branches contain the specified <commit>.
 196
 197 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 198   since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 199
 200 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 201   into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 202
 203 Author
 204 ------
 205 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
 206
 207 Documentation
 208 --------------
 209 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 210
 211 GIT
 212 ---
 213 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite