NAME
----
-git-check-ref-format - Make sure ref name is well formed
+git-check-ref-format - Ensures that a reference name is well formed
SYNOPSIS
--------
+[verse]
'git check-ref-format' <refname>
+'git check-ref-format' [--branch] <branchname-shorthand>
DESCRIPTION
-----------
-Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits non-zero if
-it is not.
+Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits with a non-zero
+status if it is not.
A reference is used in git to specify branches and tags. A
-branch head is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` directory, and
-a tag is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory. git
-imposes the following rules on how refs are named:
+branch head is stored under the `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` directory, and
+a tag is stored under the `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory. git
+imposes the following rules on how references are named:
-. It can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory)
+. They can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory)
grouping, but no slash-separated component can begin with a
- dot `.`;
+ dot `.`.
-. It cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere;
+. They cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere.
-. It cannot have ASCII control character (i.e. bytes whose
+. They cannot have ASCII control characters (i.e. bytes whose
values are lower than \040, or \177 `DEL`), space, tilde `~`,
caret `{caret}`, colon `:`, question-mark `?`, asterisk `*`,
- or open bracket `[` anywhere;
+ or open bracket `[` anywhere.
-. It cannot end with a slash `/`.
+. They cannot end with a slash `/` nor a dot `.`.
-These rules makes it easy for shell script based tools to parse
-refnames, pathname expansion by the shell when a refname is used
+. They cannot end with the sequence `.lock`.
+
+. They cannot contain a sequence `@{`.
+
+These rules make it easy for shell script based tools to parse
+reference names, pathname expansion by the shell when a reference name is used
unquoted (by mistake), and also avoids ambiguities in certain
-refname expressions (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]). Namely:
+reference name expressions (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]):
-. double-dot `..` are often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some
- context this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in
- ref1 and in ref2).
+. A double-dot `..` is often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some
+ contexts this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in
+ `ref1` and in `ref2`).
-. tilde `~` and caret `{caret}` are used to introduce postfix
+. A tilde `~` and caret `{caret}` are used to introduce the postfix
'nth parent' and 'peel onion' operation.
-. colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s
+. A colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s
value and store it in dstref" in fetch and push operations.
It may also be used to select a specific object such as with
'git-cat-file': "git cat-file blob v1.3.3:refs.c".
+. at-open-brace `@{` is used as a notation to access a reflog entry.
+
+With the `--branch` option, it expands a branch name shorthand and
+prints the name of the branch the shorthand refers to.
+
+EXAMPLE
+-------
+
+git check-ref-format --branch @{-1}::
+
+Print the name of the previous branch.
+
GIT
---