[thirdparty/git.git] / Documentation / git-checkout-index.txt

git-checkout-index(1)
=====================

NAME
----
git-checkout-index - Copy files from the index to the working directory


SYNOPSIS
--------
'git-checkout-index' [-u] [-q] [-a] [-f] [-n] [--prefix=<string>]
	[--stage=<number>] [--] <file>...

DESCRIPTION
-----------
Will copy all files listed from the index to the working directory
(not overwriting existing files).

OPTIONS
-------
-u|--index::
	update stat information for the checked out entries in
	the index file.

-q|--quiet::
	be quiet if files exist or are not in the index

-f|--force::
	forces overwrite of existing files

-a|--all::
	checks out all files in the index.  Cannot be used
	together with explicit filenames.

-n|--no-create::
	Don't checkout new files, only refresh files already checked
	out.

--prefix=<string>::
	When creating files, prepend <string> (usually a directory
	including a trailing /)

--stage=<number>::
	Instead of checking out unmerged entries, copy out the
	files from named stage.  <number> must be between 1 and 3.

--::
	Do not interpret any more arguments as options.

The order of the flags used to matter, but not anymore.

Just doing `git-checkout-index` does nothing. You probably meant
`git-checkout-index -a`. And if you want to force it, you want
`git-checkout-index -f -a`.

Intuitiveness is not the goal here. Repeatability is. The reason for
the "no arguments means no work" behavior is that from scripts you are
supposed to be able to do:

----------------
$ find . -name '*.h' -print0 | xargs -0 git-checkout-index -f --
----------------

which will force all existing `*.h` files to be replaced with their
cached copies. If an empty command line implied "all", then this would
force-refresh everything in the index, which was not the point.

The `--` is just a good idea when you know the rest will be filenames;
it will prevent problems with a filename of, for example,  `-a`.
Using `--` is probably a good policy in scripts.


EXAMPLES
--------
To update and refresh only the files already checked out::
+
----------------
$ git-checkout-index -n -f -a && git-update-index --ignore-missing --refresh
----------------

Using `git-checkout-index` to "export an entire tree"::
	The prefix ability basically makes it trivial to use
	`git-checkout-index` as an "export as tree" function.
	Just read the desired tree into the index, and do:
+
----------------
$ git-checkout-index --prefix=git-export-dir/ -a
----------------
+
`git-checkout-index` will "export" the index into the specified
directory.
+
The final "/" is important. The exported name is literally just
prefixed with the specified string.  Contrast this with the
following example.

Export files with a prefix::
+
----------------
$ git-checkout-index --prefix=.merged- Makefile
----------------
+
This will check out the currently cached copy of `Makefile`
into the file `.merged-Makefile`.


Author
------
Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>


Documentation
--------------
Documentation by David Greaves,
Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.


GIT
---
Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
Commit	Line	Data
	1	git-checkout-index(1)
	2	=====================
	3
	4	NAME
	5	----
	6	git-checkout-index - Copy files from the index to the working directory
	7
	8
	9	SYNOPSIS
	10	--------
	11	'git-checkout-index' [-u] [-q] [-a] [-f] [-n] [--prefix=<string>]
	12	[--stage=<number>] [--] <file>...
	13
	14	DESCRIPTION
	15	-----------
	16	Will copy all files listed from the index to the working directory
	17	(not overwriting existing files).
	18
	19	OPTIONS
	20	-------
	21	-u\|--index::
	22	update stat information for the checked out entries in
	23	the index file.
	24
	25	-q\|--quiet::
	26	be quiet if files exist or are not in the index
	27
	28	-f\|--force::
	29	forces overwrite of existing files
	30
	31	-a\|--all::
	32	checks out all files in the index. Cannot be used
	33	together with explicit filenames.
	34
	35	-n\|--no-create::
	36	Don't checkout new files, only refresh files already checked
	37	out.
	38
	39	--prefix=<string>::
	40	When creating files, prepend <string> (usually a directory
	41	including a trailing /)
	42
	43	--stage=<number>::
	44	Instead of checking out unmerged entries, copy out the
	45	files from named stage. <number> must be between 1 and 3.
	46
	47	--::
	48	Do not interpret any more arguments as options.
	49
	50	The order of the flags used to matter, but not anymore.
	51
	52	Just doing `git-checkout-index` does nothing. You probably meant
	53	`git-checkout-index -a`. And if you want to force it, you want
	54	`git-checkout-index -f -a`.
	55
	56	Intuitiveness is not the goal here. Repeatability is. The reason for
	57	the "no arguments means no work" behavior is that from scripts you are
	58	supposed to be able to do:
	59
	60	----------------
	61	$ find . -name '*.h' -print0 \| xargs -0 git-checkout-index -f --
	62	----------------
	63
	64	which will force all existing `*.h` files to be replaced with their
	65	cached copies. If an empty command line implied "all", then this would
	66	force-refresh everything in the index, which was not the point.
	67
	68	The `--` is just a good idea when you know the rest will be filenames;
	69	it will prevent problems with a filename of, for example, `-a`.
	70	Using `--` is probably a good policy in scripts.
	71
	72
	73	EXAMPLES
	74	--------
	75	To update and refresh only the files already checked out::
	76	+
	77	----------------
	78	$ git-checkout-index -n -f -a && git-update-index --ignore-missing --refresh
	79	----------------
	80
	81	Using `git-checkout-index` to "export an entire tree"::
	82	The prefix ability basically makes it trivial to use
	83	`git-checkout-index` as an "export as tree" function.
	84	Just read the desired tree into the index, and do:
	85	+
	86	----------------
	87	$ git-checkout-index --prefix=git-export-dir/ -a
	88	----------------
	89	+
	90	`git-checkout-index` will "export" the index into the specified
	91	directory.
	92	+
	93	The final "/" is important. The exported name is literally just
	94	prefixed with the specified string. Contrast this with the
	95	following example.
	96
	97	Export files with a prefix::
	98	+
	99	----------------
	100	$ git-checkout-index --prefix=.merged- Makefile
	101	----------------
	102	+
	103	This will check out the currently cached copy of `Makefile`
	104	into the file `.merged-Makefile`.
	105
	106
	107	Author
	108	------
	109	Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
	110
	111
	112	Documentation
	113	--------------
	114	Documentation by David Greaves,
	115	Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
	116
	117
	118	GIT
	119	---
	120	Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
	121