Documentation/git-notes.txt

   1 git-notes(1)
   2 ============
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-notes - Add/inspect object notes
   7
   8 SYNOPSIS
   9 --------
  10 [verse]
  11 'git notes' [list [<object>]]
  12 'git notes' add [-f] [-F <file> | -m <msg> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]
  13 'git notes' copy [-f] ( --stdin | <from-object> <to-object> )
  14 'git notes' append [-F <file> | -m <msg> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]
  15 'git notes' edit [<object>]
  16 'git notes' show [<object>]
  17 'git notes' remove [<object>]
  18 'git notes' prune
  19
  20
  21 DESCRIPTION
  22 -----------
  23 This command allows you to add/remove notes to/from objects, without
  24 changing the objects themselves.
  25
  26 A typical use of notes is to extend a commit message without having
  27 to change the commit itself. Such commit notes can be shown by `git log`
  28 along with the original commit message. To discern these notes from the
  29 message stored in the commit object, the notes are indented like the
  30 message, after an unindented line saying "Notes (<refname>):" (or
  31 "Notes:" for the default setting).
  32
  33 This command always manipulates the notes specified in "core.notesRef"
  34 (see linkgit:git-config[1]), which can be overridden by GIT_NOTES_REF.
  35 To change which notes are shown by 'git-log', see the
  36 "notes.displayRef" configuration.
  37
  38 See the description of "notes.rewrite.<command>" in
  39 linkgit:git-config[1] for a way of carrying your notes across commands
  40 that rewrite commits.
  41
  42
  43 SUBCOMMANDS
  44 -----------
  45
  46 list::
  47         List the notes object for a given object. If no object is
  48         given, show a list of all note objects and the objects they
  49         annotate (in the format "<note object> <annotated object>").
  50         This is the default subcommand if no subcommand is given.
  51
  52 add::
  53         Add notes for a given object (defaults to HEAD). Abort if the
  54         object already has notes (use `-f` to overwrite an
  55         existing note).
  56
  57 copy::
  58         Copy the notes for the first object onto the second object.
  59         Abort if the second object already has notes, or if the first
  60         object has none (use -f to overwrite existing notes to the
  61         second object). This subcommand is equivalent to:
  62         `git notes add [-f] -C $(git notes list <from-object>) <to-object>`
  63 +
  64 In `\--stdin` mode, take lines in the format
  65 +
  66 ----------
  67 <from-object> SP <to-object> [ SP <rest> ] LF
  68 ----------
  69 +
  70 on standard input, and copy the notes from each <from-object> to its
  71 corresponding <to-object>.  (The optional `<rest>` is ignored so that
  72 the command can read the input given to the `post-rewrite` hook.)
  73
  74 append::
  75         Append to the notes of an existing object (defaults to HEAD).
  76         Creates a new notes object if needed.
  77
  78 edit::
  79         Edit the notes for a given object (defaults to HEAD).
  80
  81 show::
  82         Show the notes for a given object (defaults to HEAD).
  83
  84 remove::
  85         Remove the notes for a given object (defaults to HEAD).
  86         This is equivalent to specifying an empty note message to
  87         the `edit` subcommand.
  88
  89 prune::
  90         Remove all notes for non-existing/unreachable objects.
  91
  92 OPTIONS
  93 -------
  94 -f::
  95 --force::
  96         When adding notes to an object that already has notes,
  97         overwrite the existing notes (instead of aborting).
  98
  99 -m <msg>::
 100 --message=<msg>::
 101         Use the given note message (instead of prompting).
 102         If multiple `-m` options are given, their values
 103         are concatenated as separate paragraphs.
 104
 105 -F <file>::
 106 --file=<file>::
 107         Take the note message from the given file.  Use '-' to
 108         read the note message from the standard input.
 109
 110 -C <object>::
 111 --reuse-message=<object>::
 112         Reuse the note message from the given note object.
 113
 114 -c <object>::
 115 --reedit-message=<object>::
 116         Like '-C', but with '-c' the editor is invoked, so that
 117         the user can further edit the note message.
 118
 119 --ref <ref>::
 120         Manipulate the notes tree in <ref>.  This overrides both
 121         GIT_NOTES_REF and the "core.notesRef" configuration.  The ref
 122         is taken to be in `refs/notes/` if it is not qualified.
 123
 124
 125 NOTES
 126 -----
 127
 128 Every notes change creates a new commit at the specified notes ref.
 129 You can therefore inspect the history of the notes by invoking, e.g.,
 130 `git log -p notes/commits`.
 131
 132 Currently the commit message only records which operation triggered
 133 the update, and the commit authorship is determined according to the
 134 usual rules (see linkgit:git-commit[1]).  These details may change in
 135 the future.
 136
 137
 138 Author
 139 ------
 140 Written by Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de> and
 141 Johan Herland <johan@herland.net>
 142
 143 Documentation
 144 -------------
 145 Documentation by Johannes Schindelin and Johan Herland
 146
 147 GIT
 148 ---
 149 Part of the linkgit:git[7] suite