450f90368f74ce104adaea4d8f290dbd99eb84e1
1 git-branch(1)
2 =============
4 NAME
5 ----
6 git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
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>...
18 DESCRIPTION
19 -----------
21 With no arguments, existing branches are listed, 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.
25 With `--contains`, shows only the branches that contains the named commit
26 (in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendant 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. Missing <commit> argument defaults to
31 'HEAD' (i.e. the tip of the current branch).
33 In its 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.
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.
42 When a local branch is started off a remote branch, git sets up the
43 branch so that linkgit:git-pull[1] 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.
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.
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.
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 remote repository or if linkgit:git-fetch[1] was configured not to fetch
61 them again. See also 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for way to
62 clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
65 OPTIONS
66 -------
67 -d::
68 Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in HEAD.
70 -D::
71 Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
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}".
78 -f::
79 Force the creation of a new branch even if it means deleting
80 a branch that already exists with the same name.
82 -m::
83 Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
85 -M::
86 Move/rename a branch even if the new branchname already exists.
88 --color::
89 Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote branches.
91 --no-color::
92 Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
93 default to color output.
95 -r::
96 List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
98 -a::
99 List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
101 -v::
102 --verbose::
103 Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head.
105 --abbrev=<length>::
106 Alter minimum display length for sha1 in output listing,
107 default value is 7.
109 --no-abbrev::
110 Display the full sha1s in output listing rather than abbreviating them.
112 --track::
113 When creating a new branch, set up configuration so that git-pull
114 will automatically retrieve data from the start point, which must be
115 a branch. Use this if you always pull from the same upstream branch
116 into the new branch, and if you don't want to use "git pull
117 <repository> <refspec>" explicitly. This behavior is the default
118 when the start point is a remote branch. Set the
119 branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you want
120 git-checkout and git-branch to always behave as if '--no-track' were
121 given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
122 start-point is either a local or remote branch.
124 --no-track::
125 Ignore the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable.
127 --contains <commit>::
128 Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
130 --merged::
131 Only list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
133 --no-merged::
134 Do not list branches which are fully contained by HEAD.
136 <branchname>::
137 The name of the branch to create or delete.
138 The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
139 linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1]. Some of these checks
140 may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
142 <start-point>::
143 The new branch will be created with a HEAD equal to this. It may
144 be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag. If this option
145 is omitted, the current branch is assumed.
147 <oldbranch>::
148 The name of an existing branch to rename.
150 <newbranch>::
151 The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
152 <branchname> applies.
155 Examples
156 --------
158 Start development off of a known tag::
159 +
160 ------------
161 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
162 $ cd my2.6
163 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14 <1>
164 $ git checkout my2.6.14
165 ------------
166 +
167 <1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
168 "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
170 Delete unneeded branch::
171 +
172 ------------
173 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
174 $ cd my.git
175 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man <1>
176 $ git branch -D test <2>
177 ------------
178 +
179 <1> Delete remote-tracking branches "todo", "html", "man". Next 'fetch' or
180 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to. See
181 linkgit:git-fetch[1].
182 <2> Delete "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch is
183 currently checked out) does not have all commits from test branch.
186 Notes
187 -----
189 If you are creating a branch that you want to immediately checkout, it's
190 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
191 a branch and check it out with a single command.
193 The options `--contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged` serves three related
194 but different purposes:
196 - `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
197 special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
198 branches contain the specified <commit>.
200 - `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
201 since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
203 - `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
204 into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
206 Author
207 ------
208 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
210 Documentation
211 --------------
212 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
214 GIT
215 ---
216 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite