Documentation / git-branch.txton commit Merge branch 'sg/show-failed-test-names' (8ae7a46)
   1git-branch(1)
   2=============
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
   7
   8SYNOPSIS
   9--------
  10[verse]
  11'git branch' [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [--show-current]
  12        [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
  13        [--column[=<options>] | --no-column] [--sort=<key>]
  14        [(--merged | --no-merged) [<commit>]]
  15        [--contains [<commit]] [--no-contains [<commit>]]
  16        [--points-at <object>] [--format=<format>]
  17        [(-r | --remotes) | (-a | --all)]
  18        [--list] [<pattern>...]
  19'git branch' [--track | --no-track] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
  20'git branch' (--set-upstream-to=<upstream> | -u <upstream>) [<branchname>]
  21'git branch' --unset-upstream [<branchname>]
  22'git branch' (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
  23'git branch' (-c | -C) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
  24'git branch' (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
  25'git branch' --edit-description [<branchname>]
  26
  27DESCRIPTION
  28-----------
  29
  30If `--list` is given, or if there are no non-option arguments, existing
  31branches are listed; the current branch will be highlighted in green and
  32marked with an asterisk.  Any branches checked out in linked worktrees will
  33be highlighted in cyan and marked with a plus sign. Option `-r` causes the
  34remote-tracking branches to be listed,
  35and option `-a` shows both local and remote branches.
  36
  37If a `<pattern>`
  38is given, it is used as a shell wildcard to restrict the output to
  39matching branches. If multiple patterns are given, a branch is shown if
  40it matches any of the patterns.
  41
  42Note that when providing a
  43`<pattern>`, you must use `--list`; otherwise the command may be interpreted
  44as branch creation.
  45
  46With `--contains`, shows only the branches that contain the named commit
  47(in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the
  48named commit), `--no-contains` inverts it. With `--merged`, only branches
  49merged into the named commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are
  50reachable from the named commit) will be listed.  With `--no-merged` only
  51branches not merged into the named commit will be listed.  If the <commit>
  52argument is missing it defaults to `HEAD` (i.e. the tip of the current
  53branch).
  54
  55The command's second form creates a new branch head named <branchname>
  56which points to the current `HEAD`, or <start-point> if given. As a
  57special case, for <start-point>, you may use `"A...B"` as a shortcut for
  58the merge base of `A` and `B` if there is exactly one merge base. You
  59can leave out at most one of `A` and `B`, in which case it defaults to
  60`HEAD`.
  61
  62Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
  63working tree to it; use "git switch <newbranch>" to switch to the
  64new branch.
  65
  66When a local branch is started off a remote-tracking branch, Git sets up the
  67branch (specifically the `branch.<name>.remote` and `branch.<name>.merge`
  68configuration entries) so that 'git pull' will appropriately merge from
  69the remote-tracking branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
  70`branch.autoSetupMerge` configuration flag. That setting can be
  71overridden by using the `--track` and `--no-track` options, and
  72changed later using `git branch --set-upstream-to`.
  73
  74With a `-m` or `-M` option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
  75If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
  76<newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
  77renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
  78to happen.
  79
  80The `-c` and `-C` options have the exact same semantics as `-m` and
  81`-M`, except instead of the branch being renamed it along with its
  82config and reflog will be copied to a new name.
  83
  84With a `-d` or `-D` option, `<branchname>` will be deleted.  You may
  85specify more than one branch for deletion.  If the branch currently
  86has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
  87
  88Use `-r` together with `-d` to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
  89only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
  90in the remote repository or if 'git fetch' was configured not to fetch
  91them again. See also the 'prune' subcommand of linkgit:git-remote[1] for a
  92way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
  93
  94
  95OPTIONS
  96-------
  97-d::
  98--delete::
  99        Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its
 100        upstream branch, or in `HEAD` if no upstream was set with
 101        `--track` or `--set-upstream-to`.
 102
 103-D::
 104        Shortcut for `--delete --force`.
 105
 106--create-reflog::
 107        Create the branch's reflog.  This activates recording of
 108        all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
 109        based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
 110        Note that in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually
 111        enabled by default by the `core.logAllRefUpdates` config option.
 112        The negated form `--no-create-reflog` only overrides an earlier
 113        `--create-reflog`, but currently does not negate the setting of
 114        `core.logAllRefUpdates`.
 115
 116-f::
 117--force::
 118        Reset <branchname> to <startpoint>, even if <branchname> exists
 119        already. Without `-f`, 'git branch' refuses to change an existing branch.
 120        In combination with `-d` (or `--delete`), allow deleting the
 121        branch irrespective of its merged status. In combination with
 122        `-m` (or `--move`), allow renaming the branch even if the new
 123        branch name already exists, the same applies for `-c` (or `--copy`).
 124
 125-m::
 126--move::
 127        Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
 128
 129-M::
 130        Shortcut for `--move --force`.
 131
 132-c::
 133--copy::
 134        Copy a branch and the corresponding reflog.
 135
 136-C::
 137        Shortcut for `--copy --force`.
 138
 139--color[=<when>]::
 140        Color branches to highlight current, local, and
 141        remote-tracking branches.
 142        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 143
 144--no-color::
 145        Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
 146        default to color output.
 147        Same as `--color=never`.
 148
 149-i::
 150--ignore-case::
 151        Sorting and filtering branches are case insensitive.
 152
 153--column[=<options>]::
 154--no-column::
 155        Display branch listing in columns. See configuration variable
 156        column.branch for option syntax.`--column` and `--no-column`
 157        without options are equivalent to 'always' and 'never' respectively.
 158+
 159This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
 160
 161-r::
 162--remotes::
 163        List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
 164        Combine with `--list` to match the optional pattern(s).
 165
 166-a::
 167--all::
 168        List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
 169        Combine with `--list` to match optional pattern(s).
 170
 171-l::
 172--list::
 173        List branches.  With optional `<pattern>...`, e.g. `git
 174        branch --list 'maint-*'`, list only the branches that match
 175        the pattern(s).
 176
 177--show-current::
 178        Print the name of the current branch. In detached HEAD state,
 179        nothing is printed.
 180
 181-v::
 182-vv::
 183--verbose::
 184        When in list mode,
 185        show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
 186        relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print
 187        the path of the linked worktree (if any) and the name of the upstream
 188        branch, as well (see also `git remote show <remote>`).  Note that the
 189        current worktree's HEAD will not have its path printed (it will always
 190        be your current directory).
 191
 192-q::
 193--quiet::
 194        Be more quiet when creating or deleting a branch, suppressing
 195        non-error messages.
 196
 197--abbrev=<length>::
 198        Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing.
 199        The default value is 7 and can be overridden by the `core.abbrev`
 200        config option.
 201
 202--no-abbrev::
 203        Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
 204
 205-t::
 206--track::
 207        When creating a new branch, set up `branch.<name>.remote` and
 208        `branch.<name>.merge` configuration entries to mark the
 209        start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
 210        configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
 211        two branches in `git status` and `git branch -v`. Furthermore,
 212        it directs `git pull` without arguments to pull from the
 213        upstream when the new branch is checked out.
 214+
 215This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote-tracking branch.
 216Set the branch.autoSetupMerge configuration variable to `false` if you
 217want `git switch`, `git checkout` and `git branch` to always behave as if `--no-track`
 218were given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
 219start-point is either a local or remote-tracking branch.
 220
 221--no-track::
 222        Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
 223        branch.autoSetupMerge configuration variable is true.
 224
 225--set-upstream::
 226        As this option had confusing syntax, it is no longer supported.
 227        Please use `--track` or `--set-upstream-to` instead.
 228
 229-u <upstream>::
 230--set-upstream-to=<upstream>::
 231        Set up <branchname>'s tracking information so <upstream> is
 232        considered <branchname>'s upstream branch. If no <branchname>
 233        is specified, then it defaults to the current branch.
 234
 235--unset-upstream::
 236        Remove the upstream information for <branchname>. If no branch
 237        is specified it defaults to the current branch.
 238
 239--edit-description::
 240        Open an editor and edit the text to explain what the branch is
 241        for, to be used by various other commands (e.g. `format-patch`,
 242        `request-pull`, and `merge` (if enabled)). Multi-line explanations
 243        may be used.
 244
 245--contains [<commit>]::
 246        Only list branches which contain the specified commit (HEAD
 247        if not specified). Implies `--list`.
 248
 249--no-contains [<commit>]::
 250        Only list branches which don't contain the specified commit
 251        (HEAD if not specified). Implies `--list`.
 252
 253--merged [<commit>]::
 254        Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the
 255        specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies `--list`,
 256        incompatible with `--no-merged`.
 257
 258--no-merged [<commit>]::
 259        Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the
 260        specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies `--list`,
 261        incompatible with `--merged`.
 262
 263<branchname>::
 264        The name of the branch to create or delete.
 265        The new branch name must pass all checks defined by
 266        linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1].  Some of these checks
 267        may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
 268
 269<start-point>::
 270        The new branch head will point to this commit.  It may be
 271        given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this
 272        option is omitted, the current HEAD will be used instead.
 273
 274<oldbranch>::
 275        The name of an existing branch to rename.
 276
 277<newbranch>::
 278        The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
 279        <branchname> apply.
 280
 281--sort=<key>::
 282        Sort based on the key given. Prefix `-` to sort in descending
 283        order of the value. You may use the --sort=<key> option
 284        multiple times, in which case the last key becomes the primary
 285        key. The keys supported are the same as those in `git
 286        for-each-ref`. Sort order defaults to the value configured for the
 287        `branch.sort` variable if exists, or to sorting based on the
 288        full refname (including `refs/...` prefix). This lists
 289        detached HEAD (if present) first, then local branches and
 290        finally remote-tracking branches. See linkgit:git-config[1].
 291
 292
 293--points-at <object>::
 294        Only list branches of the given object.
 295
 296--format <format>::
 297        A string that interpolates `%(fieldname)` from a branch ref being shown
 298        and the object it points at.  The format is the same as
 299        that of linkgit:git-for-each-ref[1].
 300
 301CONFIGURATION
 302-------------
 303`pager.branch` is only respected when listing branches, i.e., when
 304`--list` is used or implied. The default is to use a pager.
 305See linkgit:git-config[1].
 306
 307EXAMPLES
 308--------
 309
 310Start development from a known tag::
 311+
 312------------
 313$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
 314$ cd my2.6
 315$ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   <1>
 316$ git switch my2.6.14
 317------------
 318+
 319<1> This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with
 320    "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
 321
 322Delete an unneeded branch::
 323+
 324------------
 325$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
 326$ cd my.git
 327$ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   <1>
 328$ git branch -D test                                    <2>
 329------------
 330+
 331<1> Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next
 332    'fetch' or 'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to.
 333    See linkgit:git-fetch[1].
 334<2> Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch
 335    is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
 336
 337Listing branches from a specific remote::
 338+
 339------------
 340$ git branch -r -l '<remote>/<pattern>'                 <1>
 341$ git for-each-ref 'refs/remotes/<remote>/<pattern>'    <2>
 342------------
 343+
 344<1> Using `-a` would conflate <remote> with any local branches you happen to
 345    have been prefixed with the same <remote> pattern.
 346<2> `for-each-ref` can take a wide range of options. See linkgit:git-for-each-ref[1]
 347
 348Patterns will normally need quoting.
 349
 350NOTES
 351-----
 352
 353If you are creating a branch that you want to switch to immediately,
 354it is easier to use the "git switch" command with its `-c` option to
 355do the same thing with a single command.
 356
 357The options `--contains`, `--no-contains`, `--merged` and `--no-merged`
 358serve four related but different purposes:
 359
 360- `--contains <commit>` is used to find all branches which will need
 361  special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those
 362  branches contain the specified <commit>.
 363
 364- `--no-contains <commit>` is the inverse of that, i.e. branches that don't
 365  contain the specified <commit>.
 366
 367- `--merged` is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
 368  since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
 369
 370- `--no-merged` is used to find branches which are candidates for merging
 371  into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
 372
 373SEE ALSO
 374--------
 375linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1],
 376linkgit:git-fetch[1],
 377linkgit:git-remote[1],
 378link:user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch[``Understanding history: What is
 379a branch?''] in the Git User's Manual.
 380
 381GIT
 382---
 383Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite