Documentation/git-format-patch.txt

   1 git-format-patch(1)
   2 ===================
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-format-patch - Prepare patches for e-mail submission.
   7
   8
   9 SYNOPSIS
  10 --------
  11 [verse]
  12 'git-format-patch' [-n | -k] [-o <dir> | --stdout] [-s] [-c]
  13                  [--diff-options] <his> [<mine>]
  14
  15 DESCRIPTION
  16 -----------
  17 Prepare each commit with its patch since <mine> head forked from
  18 <his> head, one file per patch formatted to resemble UNIX mailbox
  19 format, for e-mail submission or use with gitlink:git-am[1].
  20
  21 Each output file is numbered sequentially from 1, and uses the
  22 first line of the commit message (massaged for pathname safety)
  23 as the filename.
  24
  25 When -o is specified, output files are created in <dir>; otherwise
  26 they are created in the current working directory.  This option
  27 is ignored if --stdout is specified.
  28
  29 When -n is specified, instead of "[PATCH] Subject", the first
  30 line is formatted as "[PATCH N/M] Subject", unless you have only
  31 one patch.
  32
  33
  34 OPTIONS
  35 -------
  36 -o|--output-directory <dir>::
  37         Use <dir> to store the resulting files, instead of the
  38         current working directory.
  39
  40 -n|--numbered::
  41         Name output in '[PATCH n/m]' format.
  42
  43 -k|--keep-subject::
  44         Do not strip/add '[PATCH]' from the first line of the
  45         commit log message.
  46
  47 -s|--signoff::
  48         Add `Signed-off-by:` line to the commit message, using
  49         the committer identity of yourself.
  50
  51 -c|--check::
  52         Display suspicious lines in the patch.  The definition
  53         of 'suspicious lines' is currently the lines that has
  54         trailing whitespaces, and the lines whose indentation
  55         has a SP character immediately followed by a TAB
  56         character.
  57
  58 --stdout::
  59         This flag generates the mbox formatted output to the
  60         standard output, instead of saving them into a file per
  61         patch and implies --mbox.
  62
  63
  64 EXAMPLES
  65 --------
  66
  67 git-format-patch -k --stdout R1..R2 | git-am -3 -k::
  68         Extract commits between revisions R1 and R2, and apply
  69         them on top of the current branch using `git-am` to
  70         cherry-pick them.
  71
  72 git-format-patch origin::
  73         Extract commits the current branch accumulated since it
  74         pulled from origin the last time in a patch form for
  75         e-mail submission.
  76
  77 git-format-patch -M -B origin::
  78         The same as the previous one, except detect and handle
  79         renames and complete rewrites intelligently to produce
  80         renaming patch.  A renaming patch reduces the amount of
  81         text output, and generally makes it easier to review
  82         it.  Note that the "patch" program does not understand
  83         renaming patch well, so use it only when you know the
  84         recipient uses git to apply your patch.
  85
  86
  87 See Also
  88 --------
  89 gitlink:git-am[1], gitlink:git-send-email[1]
  90
  91
  92 Author
  93 ------
  94 Written by Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
  95
  96 Documentation
  97 --------------
  98 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
  99
 100 GIT
 101 ---
 102 Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
 103