Document git-stash

[thirdparty/git.git] / Documentation / git-stash.txt

git-stash(1)
============

NAME
----
git-stash - Stash the changes in a dirty working directory away

SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git-stash'
'git-stash' [list | show [<stash>] | apply [<stash>] | clear]

DESCRIPTION
-----------

Use 'git-stash' when you want to record the current state of the
working directory and the index, but want to go back to a clean
working directory.  The command saves your local modifications away
and reverts the working directory to match the `HEAD` commit.

The modifications stashed away by this command can be listed with
`git-stash list`, inspected with `git-stash show`, and restored
(potentially on top of a different commit) with `git-stash apply`
commands.  The default operation when called without options is to
save the changes away.

The latest stash you created is stored in `$GIT_DIR/refs/stash`; older
stashes are found in the reflog of this refererence and can be named using
the usual reflog syntax (e.g. `stash@{1}` is the stash one previously made,
`stash@{2}` is the one before it, `stash@{2.hours.ago}` is also possible).

OPTIONS
-------

(no subcommand)::

	Save your local modifications to a new 'stash', and run `git-reset
	--hard` to revert them.

list::

	List the stashes that you currently have.  Each 'stash' is listed
	with its name (e.g. `stash@{0}` is the latest stash, `stash@{1} is
	the one before), the name of the branch that was current when the
	stash was made, and a short description of the commit the stash was
	based on.
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
stash@{0}: submit: 6ebd0e2... Add git-stash
stash@{1}: master: 9cc0589... Merge branch 'master' of gfi
----------------------------------------------------------------

show [<stash>]::

	Show the changes recorded in the stash.  When no `<stash>` is given,
	shows the latest one.  By default, the command shows diffstat, but
	you can add `-p` option (i.e. `git stash show -p stash@{2}`) to view
	it in patch form.

apply [<stash>]::

	Restores the changes recorded in the stash on top of the current
	working tree state.  When no `<stash>` is given, applies the latest
	one.  The working directory must match the index.  When the changes
	conflict, you need to resolve them by hand and mark the result with
	`git add` as usual.  When the changes are cleanly merged, your
	earlier local changes stored in the stash becomes the differences
	between the index and the working tree (i.e. `git diff`), except
	that newly created files are registered in the index (i.e. `git diff
	--cached` is necessary to review the newly added files).

clear::
	Removes all the stashed states.


DISCUSSION
----------

A stash is represented as a commit whose tree records the state of the
working directory, and its first parent is the commit at `HEAD` when
the stash was created.  The tree of the second parent records the
state of the index when the stash is made, and it is made a child of
the `HEAD` commit.  The ancestry graph looks like this:

            .----W
           /    /
     ...--H----I

where `H` is the `HEAD` commit, `I` is a commit that records the state
of the index, and `W` is a commit that records the state of the working
tree.


EXAMPLES
--------

Pulling into a dirty tree::

When you are in the middle of something, you learn that there are
changes that possibly are relevant to what you are doing in the
upstream.  When your local changes do not conflict with the changes in
the upstream, a simple `git pull` will let you move forward.
+
However, there are cases in which your local changes do conflict with
the upstream changes, and `git pull` refuses to overwrite your
changes.  In such a case, you can first stash your changes away,
perform a pull, and then unstash, like this:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
$ git pull
...
file foobar not up to date, cannot merge.
$ git stash
$ git pull
$ git stash apply
----------------------------------------------------------------

Interrupted workflow::

When you are in the middle of something, your boss comes in and
demands you to fix something immediately.  Traditionally, you would
make a commit to a temporary branch to store your changes away, and
come back to make the emergency fix, like this:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
... hack hack hack ...
$ git checkout -b my_wip
$ git commit -a -m "WIP"
$ git checkout master
$ edit emergency fix
$ git commit -a -m "Fix in a hurry"
$ git checkout my_wip
$ git reset --soft HEAD^
... continue hacking ...
----------------------------------------------------------------
+
You can use `git-stash` to simplify the above, like this:
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
... hack hack hack ...
$ git stash
$ edit emergency fix
$ git commit -a -m "Fix in a hurry"
$ git stash apply
... continue hacking ...
----------------------------------------------------------------

SEE ALSO
--------
gitlink:git-checkout[1],
gitlink:git-commit[1],
gitlink:git-reflog[1],
gitlink:git-reset[1]

AUTHOR
------
Written by Nanako Shiraishi <nanako3@bluebottle.com>

GIT
---
Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite