git_branch.txt

GIT-BRANCH(1)                    Git Manual                    GIT-BRANCH(1)

NAME
       git-branch - List, create, or delete branches

SYNOPSIS
       git branch [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [-r | -a]
               [--list] [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
               [--column[=<options>] | --no-column]
               [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]] [--sort=<key>]
               [--points-at <object>] [<pattern>...]
       git branch [--set-upstream | --track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
       git branch (--set-upstream-to=<upstream> | -u <upstream>) [<branchname>]
       git branch --unset-upstream [<branchname>]
       git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
       git branch (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
       git branch --edit-description [<branchname>]

DESCRIPTION
       If --list is given, or if there are no non-option arguments, existing
       branches are listed; the current branch will be highlighted with an
       asterisk. Option -r causes the remote-tracking branches to be listed,
       and option -a shows both local and remote branches. If a <pattern> is
       given, it is used as a shell wildcard to restrict the output to
       matching branches. If multiple patterns are given, a branch is shown
       if it matches any of the patterns. Note that when providing a
       <pattern>, you must use --list; otherwise the command is interpreted
       as branch creation.

       With --contains, shows only the branches that contain the named
       commit (in other words, the branches whose tip commits are
       descendants of the named commit). With --merged, only branches merged
       into the named commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are
       reachable from the named commit) will be listed. With --no-merged
       only branches not merged into the named commit will be listed. If the
       <commit> argument is missing it defaults to HEAD (i.e. the tip of the
       current branch).

       The command’s second form creates a new branch head named
       <branchname> which points to the current HEAD, or <start-point> if
       given.

       Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
       working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the
       new branch.

       When a local branch is started off a remote-tracking branch, Git sets
       up the branch (specifically the branch.<name>.remote and
       branch.<name>.merge configuration entries) so that git pull will
       appropriately merge from the remote-tracking branch. This behavior
       may be changed via the global branch.autoSetupMerge configuration
       flag. That setting can be overridden by using the --track and
       --no-track options, and changed later using git branch
       --set-upstream-to.

       With a -m or -M option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
       If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
       <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
       renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
       to happen.

       With a -d or -D option, <branchname> will be deleted. You may specify
       more than one branch for deletion. If the branch currently has a
       reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.

       Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note,
       that it only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they
       no longer exist in the remote repository or if git fetch was
       configured not to fetch them again. See also the prune subcommand of
       git-remote(1) for a way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking
       branches.

OPTIONS
       -d, --delete
           Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its upstream
           branch, or in HEAD if no upstream was set with --track or
           --set-upstream.

       -D
           Shortcut for --delete --force.

       -l, --create-reflog
           Create the branch’s reflog. This activates recording of all
           changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date based sha1
           expressions such as "<branchname>@{yesterday}". Note that in
           non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually enabled by default by
           the core.logallrefupdates config option.

       -f, --force
           Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists
           already. Without -f git branch refuses to change an existing
           branch. In combination with -d (or --delete), allow deleting the
           branch irrespective of its merged status. In combination with -m
           (or --move), allow renaming the branch even if the new branch
           name already exists.

       -m, --move
           Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.

       -M
           Shortcut for --move --force.

       --color[=<when>]
           Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote-tracking
           branches. The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.

       --no-color
           Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives
           the default to color output. Same as --color=never.

       --column[=<options>], --no-column
           Display branch listing in columns. See configuration variable
           column.branch for option syntax.--column and --no-column without
           options are equivalent to always and never respectively.

           This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.

       -r, --remotes
           List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.

       -a, --all
           List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.

       --list
           Activate the list mode.  git branch <pattern> would try to create
           a branch, use git branch --list <pattern> to list matching
           branches.

       -v, -vv, --verbose
           When in list mode, show sha1 and commit subject line for each
           head, along with relationship to upstream branch (if any). If
           given twice, print the name of the upstream branch, as well (see
           also git remote show <remote>).

       -q, --quiet
           Be more quiet when creating or deleting a branch, suppressing
           non-error messages.

       --abbrev=<length>
           Alter the sha1’s minimum display length in the output listing.
           The default value is 7 and can be overridden by the core.abbrev
           config option.

       --no-abbrev
           Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than
           abbreviating them.

       -t, --track
           When creating a new branch, set up branch.<name>.remote and
           branch.<name>.merge configuration entries to mark the start-point
           branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This configuration will
           tell git to show the relationship between the two branches in git
           status and git branch -v. Furthermore, it directs git pull
           without arguments to pull from the upstream when the new branch
           is checked out.

           This behavior is the default when the start point is a
           remote-tracking branch. Set the branch.autoSetupMerge
           configuration variable to false if you want git checkout and git
           branch to always behave as if --no-track were given. Set it to
           always if you want this behavior when the start-point is either a
           local or remote-tracking branch.

       --no-track
           Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
           branch.autoSetupMerge configuration variable is true.

       --set-upstream
           If specified branch does not exist yet or if --force has been
           given, acts exactly like --track. Otherwise sets up configuration
           like --track would when creating the branch, except that where
           branch points to is not changed.

       -u <upstream>, --set-upstream-to=<upstream>
           Set up <branchname>'s tracking information so <upstream> is
           considered <branchname>'s upstream branch. If no <branchname> is
           specified, then it defaults to the current branch.

       --unset-upstream
           Remove the upstream information for <branchname>. If no branch is
           specified it defaults to the current branch.

       --edit-description
           Open an editor and edit the text to explain what the branch is
           for, to be used by various other commands (e.g.  format-patch,
           request-pull, and merge (if enabled)). Multi-line explanations
           may be used.

       --contains [<commit>]
           Only list branches which contain the specified commit (HEAD if
           not specified). Implies --list.

       --merged [<commit>]
           Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the specified
           commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies --list.

       --no-merged [<commit>]
           Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the
           specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies --list.

       <branchname>
           The name of the branch to create or delete. The new branch name
           must pass all checks defined by git-check-ref-format(1). Some of
           these checks may restrict the characters allowed in a branch
           name.

       <start-point>
           The new branch head will point to this commit. It may be given as
           a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag. If this option is omitted,
           the current HEAD will be used instead.

       <oldbranch>
           The name of an existing branch to rename.

       <newbranch>
           The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
           <branchname> apply.

       --sort=<key>
           Sort based on the key given. Prefix - to sort in descending order
           of the value. You may use the --sort=<key> option multiple times,
           in which case the last key becomes the primary key. The keys
           supported are the same as those in git for-each-ref. Sort order
           defaults to sorting based on the full refname (including refs/...
           prefix). This lists detached HEAD (if present) first, then local
           branches and finally remote-tracking branches.

       --points-at <object>
           Only list branches of the given object.

EXAMPLES
       Start development from a known tag

               $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
               $ cd my2.6
               $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   (1)
               $ git checkout my2.6.14

           1. This step and the next one could be combined into a single
           step with "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".

       Delete an unneeded branch

               $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
               $ cd my.git
               $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   (1)
               $ git branch -D test                                    (2)

           1. Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man".
           The next fetch or pull will create them again unless you
           configure them not to. See git-fetch(1).
           2. Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or
           whichever branch is currently checked out) does not have all
           commits from the test branch.

NOTES
       If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately,
       it is easier to use the git checkout command with its -b option to
       create a branch and check it out with a single command.

       The options --contains, --merged and --no-merged serve three related
       but different purposes:

       ·   --contains <commit> is used to find all branches which will need
           special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended,
           since those branches contain the specified <commit>.

       ·   --merged is used to find all branches which can be safely
           deleted, since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.

       ·   --no-merged is used to find branches which are candidates for
           merging into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained
           by HEAD.

SEE ALSO
       git-check-ref-format(1), git-fetch(1), git-remote(1), “Understanding
       history: What is a branch?”[1] in the Git User’s Manual.

GIT
       Part of the git(1) suite

NOTES
        1. “Understanding history: What is a branch?”
           file:///usr/share/doc/git/html/user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch

Git 2.7.4                        10/04/2017                    GIT-BRANCH(1)