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         [-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-tracking branch, git sets up the
  41 branch so that 'git pull' will appropriately merge from
  42 the remote-tracking 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, and
  45 changed later using `git branch --set-upstream`.
  46
  47 With a '-m' or '-M' option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
  48 If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
  49 <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
  50 renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
  51 to happen.
  52
  53 With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted.  You may
  54 specify more than one branch for deletion.  If the branch currently
  55 has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
  56
  57 Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
  58 only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
  59 in the remote repository or if 'git fetch' was configured not to fetch
  60 them again. See also the 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for a
  61 way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
  62
  63
  64 OPTIONS
  65 -------
  66 -d::
  67         Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its
  68         upstream branch, or in `HEAD` if no upstream was set with
  69         `--track` or `--set-upstream`.
  70
  71 -D::
  72         Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
  73
  74 -l::
  75         Create the branch's reflog.  This activates recording of
  76         all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
  77         based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
  78         Note that in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually
  79         enabled by default by the `core.logallrefupdates` config option.
  80
  81 -f::
  82 --force::
  83         Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists
  84         already. Without `-f` 'git branch' refuses to change an existing branch.
  85
  86 -m::
  87         Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
  88
  89 -M::
  90         Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
  91
  92 --color[=<when>]::
  93         Color branches to highlight current, local, and
  94         remote-tracking branches.
  95         The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
  96
  97 --no-color::
  98         Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
  99         default to color output.
 100         Same as `--color=never`.
 101
 102 -r::
 103         List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
 104
 105 -a::
 106         List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
 107
 108 -v::
 109 --verbose::
 110         Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
 111         relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print
 112         the name of the upstream branch, as well.
 113
 114 --abbrev=<length>::
 115         Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing.
 116         The default value is 7.
 117
 118 --no-abbrev::
 119         Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 120
 121 -t::
 122 --track::
 123         When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
 124         start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
 125         configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
 126         two branches in `git status` and `git branch -v`. Furthermore,
 127         it directs `git pull` without arguments to pull from the
 128         upstream when the new branch is checked out.
 129 +
 130 This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote-tracking branch.
 131 Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you
 132 want `git checkout` and `git branch` to always behave as if '--no-track'
 133 were given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 134 start-point is either a local or remote-tracking branch.
 135
 136 --no-track::
 137         Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
 138         branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
 139
 140 --set-upstream::
 141         If specified branch does not exist yet or if '--force' has been
 142         given, acts exactly like '--track'. Otherwise sets up configuration
 143         like '--track' would when creating the branch, except that where
 144         branch points to is not changed.
 145
 146 --contains <commit>::
 147         Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
 148
 149 --merged [<commit>]::
 150         Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the
 151         specified commit (HEAD if not specified).
 152
 153 --no-merged [<commit>]::
 154         Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the
 155         specified commit (HEAD if not specified).
 156
 157 <branchname>::
 158         The name of the branch to create or delete.
 159         The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 160         linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 161         may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 162
 163 <start-point>::
 164         The new branch head will point to this commit.  It may be
 165         given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this
 166         option is omitted, the current HEAD will be used instead.
 167
 168 <oldbranch>::
 169         The name of an existing branch to rename.
 170
 171 <newbranch>::
 172         The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 173         <branchname> apply.
 174
 175
 176 Examples
 177 --------
 178
 179 Start development from a known tag::
 180 +
 181 ------------
 182 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 183 $ cd my2.6
 184 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 185 $ git checkout my2.6.14
 186 ------------
 187 +
 188 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 189 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 190
 191 Delete an unneeded branch::
 192 +
 193 ------------
 194 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 195 $ cd my.git
 196 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 197 $ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 198 ------------
 199 +
 200 <1> Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next
 201 'fetch' or 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to.
 202 See linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 203 <2> Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch
 204 is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
 205
 206
 207 Notes
 208 -----
 209
 210 If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is
 211 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 212 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 213
 214 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serve three related
 215 but different purposes:
 216
 217 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 218   special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 219   branches contain the specified <commit>.
 220
 221 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 222   since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 223
 224 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 225   into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 226
 227 SEE ALSO
 228 --------
 229 linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1],
 230 linkgit:git-fetch[1],
 231 linkgit:git-remote[1],
 232 link:user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch[``Understanding history: What is
 233 a branch?''] in the Git User's Manual.
 234
 235 Author
 236 ------
 237 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
 238
 239 Documentation
 240 --------------
 241 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
 242
 243 GIT
 244 ---
 245 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite