Pretend as if all the refs in `$GIT_DIR/refs/` are listed on the
command line as '<commit>'.
+--branches::
+
+ Pretend as if all the refs in `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` are listed
+ on the command line as '<commit>'.
+
+--tags::
+
+ Pretend as if all the refs in `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` are listed
+ on the command line as '<commit>'.
+
+--remotes::
+
+ Pretend as if all the refs in `$GIT_DIR/refs/remotes` are listed
+ on the command line as '<commit>'.
+
ifdef::git-rev-list[]
--stdin::
History Simplification
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-When optional paths are given, 'git-rev-list' simplifies commits with
-various strategies, according to the options you have selected.
+Sometimes you are only interested in parts of the history, for example the
+commits modifying a particular <path>. But there are two parts of
+'History Simplification', one part is selecting the commits and the other
+is how to do it, as there are various strategies to simplify the history.
+
+The following options select the commits to be shown:
+
+<paths>::
+
+ Commits modifying the given <paths> are selected.
+
+--simplify-by-decoration::
+
+ Commits that are referred by some branch or tag are selected.
+
+Note that extra commits can be shown to give a meaningful history.
+
+The following options affect the way the simplification is performed:
+
+Default mode::
+
+ Simplifies the history to the simplest history explaining the
+ final state of the tree. Simplest because it prunes some side
+ branches if the end result is the same (i.e. merging branches
+ with the same content)
+
+--full-history::
+
+ As the default mode but does not prune some history.
+
+--dense::
+
+ Only the selected commits are shown, plus some to have a
+ meaningful history.
+
+--sparse::
+
+ All commits in the simplified history are shown.
+
+--simplify-merges::
+
+ Additional option to '--full-history' to remove some needless
+ merges from the resulting history, as there are no selected
+ commits contributing to this merge.
+
+A more detailed explanation follows.
Suppose you specified `foo` as the <paths>. We shall call commits
that modify `foo` !TREESAME, and the rest TREESAME. (In a diff
one of the parents is TREESAME, we follow only that one, so the other
sides of the merge are never walked.
+Finally, there is a fourth simplification mode available:
+
+--simplify-merges::
+
+ First, build a history graph in the same way that
+ '\--full-history' with parent rewriting does (see above).
++
+Then simplify each commit `C` to its replacement `C'` in the final
+history according to the following rules:
++
+--
+* Set `C'` to `C`.
++
+* Replace each parent `P` of `C'` with its simplification `P'`. In
+ the process, drop parents that are ancestors of other parents, and
+ remove duplicates.
++
+* If after this parent rewriting, `C'` is a root or merge commit (has
+ zero or >1 parents), a boundary commit, or !TREESAME, it remains.
+ Otherwise, it is replaced with its only parent.
+--
++
+The effect of this is best shown by way of comparing to
+'\--full-history' with parent rewriting. The example turns into:
++
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ .-A---M---N---O
+ / / /
+ I B D
+ \ / /
+ `---------'
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
++
+Note the major differences in `N` and `P` over '\--full-history':
++
+--
+* `N`'s parent list had `I` removed, because it is an ancestor of the
+ other parent `M`. Still, `N` remained because it is !TREESAME.
++
+* `P`'s parent list similarly had `I` removed. `P` was then
+ removed completely, because it had one parent and is TREESAME.
+--
+
+The '\--simplify-by-decoration' option allows you to view only the
+big picture of the topology of the history, by omitting commits
+that are not referenced by tags. Commits are marked as !TREESAME
+(in other words, kept after history simplification rules described
+above) if (1) they are referenced by tags, or (2) they change the
+contents of the paths given on the command line. All other
+commits are marked as TREESAME (subject to be simplified away).
ifdef::git-rev-list[]
Bisection Helpers
the included and excluded commits. Thus, if
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
- $ git-rev-list --bisect foo ^bar ^baz
+ $ git rev-list --bisect foo ^bar ^baz
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
outputs 'midpoint', the output of the two commands
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
- $ git-rev-list foo ^midpoint
- $ git-rev-list midpoint ^bar ^baz
+ $ git rev-list foo ^midpoint
+ $ git rev-list midpoint ^bar ^baz
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
would be of roughly the same length. Finding the change which