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]
  12         [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
  13         [(--merged | --no-merged | --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
  21 With no arguments, existing branches are listed and the current branch will
  22 be highlighted with an asterisk.  Option `-r` causes the remote-tracking
  23 branches to be listed, and option `-a` shows both.
  24
  25 With `--contains`, shows only the branches that contain the named commit
  26 (in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the
  27 named commit).  With `--merged`, only branches merged into the named
  28 commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are reachable from the named
  29 commit) will be listed.  With `--no-merged` only branches not merged into
  30 the named commit will be listed.  If the <commit> argument is missing it
  31 defaults to 'HEAD' (i.e. the tip of the current branch).
  32
  33 In the command's second form, a new branch named <branchname> will be created.
  34 It will start out with a head equal to the one given as <start-point>.
  35 If no <start-point> is given, the branch will be created with a head
  36 equal to that of the currently checked out branch.
  37
  38 Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
  39 working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the
  40 new branch.
  41
  42 When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git sets up the
  43 branch so that 'git-pull' will appropriately merge from
  44 the remote branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
  45 `branch.autosetupmerge` configuration flag. That setting can be
  46 overridden by using the `--track` and `--no-track` options.
  47
  48 With a '-m' or '-M' option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
  49 If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
  50 <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
  51 renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
  52 to happen.
  53
  54 With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted.  You may
  55 specify more than one branch for deletion.  If the branch currently
  56 has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
  57
  58 Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
  59 only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
  60 in the remote repository or if 'git-fetch' was configured not to fetch
  61 them again. See also the 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for a
  62 way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
  63
  64
  65 OPTIONS
  66 -------
  67 -d::
  68         Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in HEAD.
  69
  70 -D::
  71         Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
  72
  73 -l::
  74         Create the branch's reflog.  This activates recording of
  75         all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
  76         based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
  77
  78 -f::
  79         Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists
  80         already. Without `-f` 'git-branch' refuses to change an existing branch.
  81
  82 -m::
  83         Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
  84
  85 -M::
  86         Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
  87
  88 --color::
  89         Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote branches.
  90
  91 --no-color::
  92         Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
  93         default to color output.
  94
  95 -r::
  96         List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
  97
  98 -a::
  99         List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
 100
 101 -v::
 102 --verbose::
 103         Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
 104         relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print
 105         the name of the upstream branch, as well.
 106
 107 --abbrev=<length>::
 108         Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing.
 109         The default value is 7.
 110
 111 --no-abbrev::
 112         Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 113
 114 --track::
 115         When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
 116         start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
 117         configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
 118         two branches in `git status` and `git branch -v`. Furthermore,
 119         it directs `git pull` without arguments to pull from the
 120         upstream when the new branch is checked out.
 121 +
 122 This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote branch.
 123 Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you
 124 want `git checkout` and `git branch` to always behave as if '--no-track'
 125 were given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 126 start-point is either a local or remote branch.
 127
 128 --no-track::
 129         Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
 130         branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
 131
 132 --contains <commit>::
 133         Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
 134
 135 --merged::
 136         Only list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
 137
 138 --no-merged::
 139         Do not list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
 140
 141 <branchname>::
 142         The name of the branch to create or delete.
 143         The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 144         linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 145         may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 146
 147 <start-point>::
 148         The new branch will be created with a HEAD equal to this.  It may
 149         be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this option
 150         is omitted, the current branch is assumed.
 151
 152 <oldbranch>::
 153         The name of an existing branch to rename.
 154
 155 <newbranch>::
 156         The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 157         <branchname> apply.
 158
 159
 160 Examples
 161 --------
 162
 163 Start development from a known tag::
 164 +
 165 ------------
 166 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 167 $ cd my2.6
 168 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 169 $ git checkout my2.6.14
 170 ------------
 171 +
 172 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 173 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 174
 175 Delete an unneeded branch::
 176 +
 177 ------------
 178 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 179 $ cd my.git
 180 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 181 $ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 182 ------------
 183 +
 184 <1> Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next
 185 'fetch' or 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to.
 186 See linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 187 <2> Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch
 188 is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
 189
 190
 191 Notes
 192 -----
 193
 194 If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is
 195 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 196 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 197
 198 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serve three related
 199 but different purposes:
 200
 201 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 202   special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 203   branches contain the specified <commit>.
 204
 205 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 206   since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 207
 208 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 209   into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 210
 211 Author
 212 ------
 213 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
 214
 215 Documentation
 216 --------------
 217 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 218
 219 GIT
 220 ---
 221 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite