X-Git-Url: https://git.tokkee.org/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=Documentation%2Fgit-checkout.txt;h=66e570113a077d2c52c4fc3ac09d24a272df5301;hb=2caa321503cbb6dfd3867d5befe615ae541a77b3;hp=afda5c36b5ac0061d94d706cd7a07ef8197b6b31;hpb=b0fd34ecd5a386b7b09a0161413c50f957ac181e;p=git.git

diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
index afda5c36b..66e570113 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
@@ -9,39 +9,58 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [-m] [<branch>]
-'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [-m] [[-b|--orphan] <new_branch>] [<start_point>]
+'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [-m] [[-b|-B|--orphan] <new_branch>] [<start_point>]
 'git checkout' [-f|--ours|--theirs|-m|--conflict=<style>] [<tree-ish>] [--] <paths>...
 'git checkout' --patch [<tree-ish>] [--] [<paths>...]
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
-
-When <paths> are not given, this command switches branches by
-updating the index, working tree, and HEAD to reflect the specified
+Updates files in the working tree to match the version in the index
+or the specified tree.  If no paths are given, 'git checkout' will
+also update `HEAD` to set the specified branch as the current
 branch.
 
-If `-b` is given, a new branch is created and checked out, as if
-linkgit:git-branch[1] were called; in this case you can
-use the --track or --no-track options, which will be passed to `git
-branch`.  As a convenience, --track without `-b` implies branch
-creation; see the description of --track below.
-
-When <paths> or --patch are given, this command does *not* switch
-branches.  It updates the named paths in the working tree from
-the index file, or from a named <tree-ish> (most often a commit).  In
-this case, the `-b` and `--track` options are meaningless and giving
-either of them results in an error. The <tree-ish> argument can be
-used to specify a specific tree-ish (i.e. commit, tag or tree)
-to update the index for the given paths before updating the
-working tree.
-
-The index may contain unmerged entries after a failed merge.  By
-default, if you try to check out such an entry from the index, the
+'git checkout' [<branch>]::
+'git checkout' -b|-B <new_branch> [<start point>]::
+
+	This form switches branches by updating the index, working
+	tree, and HEAD to reflect the specified branch.
++
+If `-b` is given, a new branch is created as if linkgit:git-branch[1]
+were called and then checked out; in this case you can
+use the `--track` or `--no-track` options, which will be passed to
+'git branch'.  As a convenience, `--track` without `-b` implies branch
+creation; see the description of `--track` below.
++
+If `-B` is given, <new_branch> is created if it doesn't exist; otherwise, it
+is reset. This is the transactional equivalent of
++
+------------
+$ git branch -f <branch> [<start point>]
+$ git checkout <branch>
+------------
++
+that is to say, the branch is not reset/created unless "git checkout" is
+successful.
+
+'git checkout' [--patch] [<tree-ish>] [--] <pathspec>...::
+
+	When <paths> or `--patch` are given, 'git checkout' *not* switch
+	branches.  It updates the named paths in the working tree from
+	the index file or from a named <tree-ish> (most often a commit).  In
+	this case, the `-b` and `--track` options are meaningless and giving
+	either of them results in an error. The <tree-ish> argument can be
+	used to specify a specific tree-ish (i.e. commit, tag or tree)
+	to update the index for the given paths before updating the
+	working tree.
++
+The index may contain unmerged entries because of a previous failed merge.
+By default, if you try to check out such an entry from the index, the
 checkout operation will fail and nothing will be checked out.
-Using -f will ignore these unmerged entries.  The contents from a
+Using `-f` will ignore these unmerged entries.  The contents from a
 specific side of the merge can be checked out of the index by
-using --ours or --theirs.  With -m, changes made to the working tree
-file can be discarded to recreate the original conflicted merge result.
+using `--ours` or `--theirs`.  With `-m`, changes made to the working tree
+file can be discarded to re-create the original conflicted merge result.
 
 OPTIONS
 -------
@@ -67,6 +86,12 @@ entries; instead, unmerged entries are ignored.
 	Create a new branch named <new_branch> and start it at
 	<start_point>; see linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
 
+-B::
+	Creates the branch <new_branch> and start it at <start_point>;
+	if it already exists, then reset it to <start_point>. This is
+	equivalent to running "git branch" with "-f"; see
+	linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
+
 -t::
 --track::
 	When creating a new branch, set up "upstream" configuration. See
@@ -91,22 +116,29 @@ explicitly give a name with '-b' in such a case.
 	details.
 
 --orphan::
-	Create a new branch named <new_branch>, unparented to any other
-	branch.  The new branch you switch to does not have any commit
-	and after the first one it will become the root of a new history
-	completely unconnected from all the other branches.
+	Create a new 'orphan' branch, named <new_branch>, started from
+	<start_point> and switch to it.  The first commit made on this
+	new branch will have no parents and it will be the root of a new
+	history totally disconnected from all the other branches and
+	commits.
++
+The index and the working tree are adjusted as if you had previously run
+"git checkout <start_point>".  This allows you to start a new history
+that records a set of paths similar to <start_point> by easily running
+"git commit -a" to make the root commit.
 +
-When you use "--orphan", the index and the working tree are kept intact.
-This allows you to start a new history that records set of paths similar
-to that of the start-point commit, which is useful when you want to keep
-different branches for different audiences you are working to like when
-you have an open source and commercial versions of a software, for example.
+This can be useful when you want to publish the tree from a commit
+without exposing its full history. You might want to do this to publish
+an open source branch of a project whose current tree is "clean", but
+whose full history contains proprietary or otherwise encumbered bits of
+code.
 +
-If you want to start a disconnected history that records set of paths
-totally different from the original branch, you may want to first clear
-the index and the working tree, by running "git rm -rf ." from the
-top-level of the working tree, before preparing your files (by copying
-from elsewhere, extracting a tarball, etc.) in the working tree.
+If you want to start a disconnected history that records a set of paths
+that is totally different from the one of <start_point>, then you should
+clear the index and the working tree right after creating the orphan
+branch by running "git rm -rf ." from the top level of the working tree.
+Afterwards you will be ready to prepare your new files, repopulating the
+working tree, by copying them from elsewhere, extracting a tarball, etc.
 
 -m::
 --merge::
@@ -248,7 +280,7 @@ the above checkout would fail like this:
 +
 ------------
 $ git checkout mytopic
-fatal: Entry 'frotz' not uptodate. Cannot merge.
+error: You have local changes to 'frotz'; not switching branches.
 ------------
 +
 You can give the `-m` flag to the command, which would try a