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[=<when>] | --no-color] [-r | -a]
  12         [--list] [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
  13         [--column[=<options>] | --no-column]
  14         [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]] [<pattern>...]
  15 'git branch' [--set-upstream | --track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
  16 'git branch' (--set-upstream-to=<upstream> | -u <upstream>) [<branchname>]
  17 'git branch' --unset-upstream [<branchname>]
  18 'git branch' (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
  19 'git branch' (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
  20 'git branch' --edit-description [<branchname>]
  21
  22 DESCRIPTION
  23 -----------
  24
  25 With no arguments, existing branches are listed and the current branch will
  26 be highlighted with an asterisk.  Option `-r` causes the remote-tracking
  27 branches to be listed, and option `-a` shows both. This list mode is also
  28 activated by the `--list` option (see below).
  29 <pattern> restricts the output to matching branches, the pattern is a shell
  30 wildcard (i.e., matched using fnmatch(3)).
  31 Multiple patterns may be given; if any of them matches, the branch is shown.
  32
  33 With `--contains`, shows only the branches that contain the named commit
  34 (in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the
  35 named commit).  With `--merged`, only branches merged into the named
  36 commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are reachable from the named
  37 commit) will be listed.  With `--no-merged` only branches not merged into
  38 the named commit will be listed.  If the <commit> argument is missing it
  39 defaults to 'HEAD' (i.e. the tip of the current branch).
  40
  41 The command's second form creates a new branch head named <branchname>
  42 which points to the current 'HEAD', or <start-point> if given.
  43
  44 Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
  45 working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the
  46 new branch.
  47
  48 When a local branch is started off a remote-tracking branch, git sets up the
  49 branch so that 'git pull' will appropriately merge from
  50 the remote-tracking branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
  51 `branch.autosetupmerge` configuration flag. That setting can be
  52 overridden by using the `--track` and `--no-track` options, and
  53 changed later using `git branch --set-upstream-to`.
  54
  55 With a `-m` or `-M` option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
  56 If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
  57 <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
  58 renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
  59 to happen.
  60
  61 With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted.  You may
  62 specify more than one branch for deletion.  If the branch currently
  63 has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
  64
  65 Use `-r` together with `-d` to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
  66 only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
  67 in the remote repository or if 'git fetch' was configured not to fetch
  68 them again. See also the 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for a
  69 way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
  70
  71
  72 OPTIONS
  73 -------
  74 -d::
  75 --delete::
  76         Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its
  77         upstream branch, or in `HEAD` if no upstream was set with
  78         `--track` or `--set-upstream`.
  79
  80 -D::
  81         Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
  82
  83 -l::
  84 --create-reflog::
  85         Create the branch's reflog.  This activates recording of
  86         all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
  87         based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
  88         Note that in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually
  89         enabled by default by the `core.logallrefupdates` config option.
  90
  91 -f::
  92 --force::
  93         Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists
  94         already. Without `-f` 'git branch' refuses to change an existing branch.
  95
  96 -m::
  97 --move::
  98         Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
  99
 100 -M::
 101         Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
 102
 103 --color[=<when>]::
 104         Color branches to highlight current, local, and
 105         remote-tracking branches.
 106         The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 107
 108 --no-color::
 109         Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
 110         default to color output.
 111         Same as `--color=never`.
 112
 113 --column[=<options>]::
 114 --no-column::
 115         Display branch listing in columns. See configuration variable
 116         column.branch for option syntax.`--column` and `--no-column`
 117         without options are equivalent to 'always' and 'never' respectively.
 118 +
 119 This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
 120
 121 -r::
 122 --remotes::
 123         List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
 124
 125 -a::
 126 --all::
 127         List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
 128
 129 --list::
 130         Activate the list mode. `git branch <pattern>` would try to create a branch,
 131         use `git branch --list <pattern>` to list matching branches.
 132
 133 -v::
 134 -vv::
 135 --verbose::
 136         When in list mode,
 137         show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
 138         relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print
 139         the name of the upstream branch, as well (see also `git remote
 140         show <remote>`).
 141
 142 -q::
 143 --quiet::
 144         Be more quiet when creating or deleting a branch, suppressing
 145         non-error messages.
 146
 147 --abbrev=<length>::
 148         Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing.
 149         The default value is 7 and can be overridden by the `core.abbrev`
 150         config option.
 151
 152 --no-abbrev::
 153         Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 154
 155 -t::
 156 --track::
 157         When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
 158         start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
 159         configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
 160         two branches in `git status` and `git branch -v`. Furthermore,
 161         it directs `git pull` without arguments to pull from the
 162         upstream when the new branch is checked out.
 163 +
 164 This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote-tracking branch.
 165 Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you
 166 want `git checkout` and `git branch` to always behave as if '--no-track'
 167 were given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 168 start-point is either a local or remote-tracking branch.
 169
 170 --no-track::
 171         Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
 172         branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
 173
 174 --set-upstream::
 175         If specified branch does not exist yet or if `--force` has been
 176         given, acts exactly like `--track`. Otherwise sets up configuration
 177         like `--track` would when creating the branch, except that where
 178         branch points to is not changed.
 179
 180 -u <upstream>::
 181 --set-upstream-to=<upstream>::
 182         Set up <branchname>'s tracking information so <upstream> is
 183         considered <branchname>'s upstream branch. If no <branchname>
 184         is specified, then it defaults to the current branch.
 185
 186 --unset-upstream::
 187         Remove the upstream information for <branchname>. If no branch
 188         is specified it defaults to the current branch.
 189
 190 --edit-description::
 191         Open an editor and edit the text to explain what the branch is
 192         for, to be used by various other commands (e.g. `request-pull`).
 193
 194 --contains [<commit>]::
 195         Only list branches which contain the specified commit (HEAD
 196         if not specified).
 197
 198 --merged [<commit>]::
 199         Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the
 200         specified commit (HEAD if not specified).
 201
 202 --no-merged [<commit>]::
 203         Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the
 204         specified commit (HEAD if not specified).
 205
 206 <branchname>::
 207         The name of the branch to create or delete.
 208         The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 209         linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 210         may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 211
 212 <start-point>::
 213         The new branch head will point to this commit.  It may be
 214         given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this
 215         option is omitted, the current HEAD will be used instead.
 216
 217 <oldbranch>::
 218         The name of an existing branch to rename.
 219
 220 <newbranch>::
 221         The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 222         <branchname> apply.
 223
 224
 225 Examples
 226 --------
 227
 228 Start development from a known tag::
 229 +
 230 ------------
 231 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 232 $ cd my2.6
 233 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 234 $ git checkout my2.6.14
 235 ------------
 236 +
 237 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 238 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 239
 240 Delete an unneeded branch::
 241 +
 242 ------------
 243 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 244 $ cd my.git
 245 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 246 $ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 247 ------------
 248 +
 249 <1> Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next
 250 'fetch' or 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to.
 251 See linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 252 <2> Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch
 253 is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
 254
 255
 256 Notes
 257 -----
 258
 259 If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is
 260 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 261 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 262
 263 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serve three related
 264 but different purposes:
 265
 266 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 267   special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 268   branches contain the specified <commit>.
 269
 270 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 271   since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 272
 273 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 274   into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 275
 276 SEE ALSO
 277 --------
 278 linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1],
 279 linkgit:git-fetch[1],
 280 linkgit:git-remote[1],
 281 link:user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch[``Understanding history: What is
 282 a branch?''] in the Git User's Manual.
 283
 284 GIT
 285 ---
 286 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite