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' [--set-upstream | --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 The command's second form creates a new branch head named <branchname>
  34 which points to the current 'HEAD', or <start-point> if given.
  35
  36 Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
  37 working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the
  38 new branch.
  39
  40 When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git sets up the
  41 branch so that 'git pull' will appropriately merge from
  42 the remote branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
  43 `branch.autosetupmerge` configuration flag. That setting can be
  44 overridden by using the `--track` and `--no-track` options.
  45
  46 With a '-m' or '-M' option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
  47 If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
  48 <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
  49 renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
  50 to happen.
  51
  52 With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted.  You may
  53 specify more than one branch for deletion.  If the branch currently
  54 has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
  55
  56 Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
  57 only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
  58 in the remote repository or if 'git fetch' was configured not to fetch
  59 them again. See also the 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for a
  60 way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
  61
  62
  63 OPTIONS
  64 -------
  65 -d::
  66         Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its
  67         upstream branch, or in `HEAD` if no upstream was set with
  68         `--track` or `--set-upstream`.
  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         Note that in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually
  78         enabled by default by the `core.logallrefupdates` config option.
  79
  80 -f::
  81 --force::
  82         Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists
  83         already. Without `-f` 'git branch' refuses to change an existing branch.
  84
  85 -m::
  86         Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
  87
  88 -M::
  89         Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
  90
  91 --color::
  92         Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote branches.
  93
  94 --no-color::
  95         Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
  96         default to color output.
  97
  98 -r::
  99         List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
 100
 101 -a::
 102         List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
 103
 104 -v::
 105 --verbose::
 106         Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
 107         relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print
 108         the name of the upstream branch, as well.
 109
 110 --abbrev=<length>::
 111         Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing.
 112         The default value is 7.
 113
 114 --no-abbrev::
 115         Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 116
 117 -t::
 118 --track::
 119         When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
 120         start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
 121         configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
 122         two branches in `git status` and `git branch -v`. Furthermore,
 123         it directs `git pull` without arguments to pull from the
 124         upstream when the new branch is checked out.
 125 +
 126 This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote branch.
 127 Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you
 128 want `git checkout` and `git branch` to always behave as if '--no-track'
 129 were given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 130 start-point is either a local or remote branch.
 131
 132 --no-track::
 133         Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
 134         branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
 135
 136 --set-upstream::
 137         If specified branch does not exist yet or if '--force' has been
 138         given, acts exactly like '--track'. Otherwise sets up configuration
 139         like '--track' would when creating the branch, except that where
 140         branch points to is not changed.
 141
 142 --contains <commit>::
 143         Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
 144
 145 --merged [<commit>]::
 146         Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the
 147         specified commit (HEAD if not specified).
 148
 149 --no-merged [<commit>]::
 150         Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the
 151         specified commit (HEAD if not specified).
 152
 153 <branchname>::
 154         The name of the branch to create or delete.
 155         The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 156         linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 157         may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 158
 159 <start-point>::
 160         The new branch head will point to this commit.  It may be
 161         given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this
 162         option is omitted, the current HEAD will be used instead.
 163
 164 <oldbranch>::
 165         The name of an existing branch to rename.
 166
 167 <newbranch>::
 168         The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 169         <branchname> apply.
 170
 171
 172 Examples
 173 --------
 174
 175 Start development from a known tag::
 176 +
 177 ------------
 178 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 179 $ cd my2.6
 180 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 181 $ git checkout my2.6.14
 182 ------------
 183 +
 184 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 185 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 186
 187 Delete an unneeded branch::
 188 +
 189 ------------
 190 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 191 $ cd my.git
 192 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 193 $ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 194 ------------
 195 +
 196 <1> Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next
 197 'fetch' or 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to.
 198 See linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 199 <2> Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch
 200 is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
 201
 202
 203 Notes
 204 -----
 205
 206 If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is
 207 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 208 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 209
 210 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serve three related
 211 but different purposes:
 212
 213 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 214   special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 215   branches contain the specified <commit>.
 216
 217 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 218   since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 219
 220 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 221   into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 222
 223 SEE ALSO
 224 --------
 225 linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1],
 226 linkgit:git-fetch[1],
 227 linkgit:git-remote[1],
 228 link:user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch[``Understanding history: What is
 229 a branch?''] in the Git User's Manual.
 230
 231 Author
 232 ------
 233 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
 234
 235 Documentation
 236 --------------
 237 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 238
 239 GIT
 240 ---
 241 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite