[[def_head]]head::
A <<def_ref,named reference>> to the <<def_commit,commit>> at the tip of a
- <<def_branch,branch>>. Heads are stored in
- `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/`, except when using packed refs. (See
+ <<def_branch,branch>>. Heads are stored in a file in
+ `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/` directory, except when using packed refs. (See
linkgit:git-pack-refs[1].)
[[def_HEAD]]HEAD::
working tree>> is normally derived from the state of the tree
referred to by HEAD. HEAD is a reference to one of the
<<def_head,heads>> in your repository, except when using a
- <<def_detached_HEAD,detached HEAD>>, in which case it may
- reference an arbitrary commit.
+ <<def_detached_HEAD,detached HEAD>>, in which case it directly
+ references an arbitrary commit.
[[def_head_ref]]head ref::
A synonym for <<def_head,head>>.
Pattern used to specify paths.
+
Pathspecs are used on the command line of "git ls-files", "git
-ls-tree", "git grep", "git checkout", and many other commands to
+ls-tree", "git add", "git grep", "git diff", "git checkout",
+and many other commands to
limit the scope of operations to some subset of the tree or
worktree. See the documentation of each command for whether
paths are relative to the current directory or toplevel. The
in the Documentation subtree,
including Documentation/chapter_1/figure_1.jpg.
++
+A pathspec that begins with a colon `:` has special meaning. In the
+short form, the leading colon `:` is followed by zero or more "magic
+signature" letters (which optionally is terminated by another colon `:`),
+and the remainder is the pattern to match against the path. The optional
+colon that terminates the "magic signature" can be omitted if the pattern
+begins with a character that cannot be a "magic signature" and is not a
+colon.
++
+In the long form, the leading colon `:` is followed by a open
+parenthesis `(`, a comma-separated list of zero or more "magic words",
+and a close parentheses `)`, and the remainder is the pattern to match
+against the path.
++
+The "magic signature" consists of an ASCII symbol that is not
+alphanumeric.
++
+--
+top `/`;;
+ The magic word `top` (mnemonic: `/`) makes the pattern match
+ from the root of the working tree, even when you are running
+ the command from inside a subdirectory.
+--
++
+Currently only the slash `/` is recognized as the "magic signature",
+but it is envisioned that we will support more types of magic in later
+versions of git.
++
+A pathspec with only a colon means "there is no pathspec". This form
+should not be combined with other pathspec.
+
[[def_parent]]parent::
A <<def_commit_object,commit object>> contains a (possibly empty) list
of the logical predecessor(s) in the line of development, i.e. its
[[def_ref]]ref::
A 40-byte hex representation of a <<def_SHA1,SHA1>> or a name that
- denotes a particular <<def_object,object>>. These may be stored in
- `$GIT_DIR/refs/`.
+ denotes a particular <<def_object,object>>. They may be stored in
+ a file under `$GIT_DIR/refs/` directory, or
+ in the `$GIT_DIR/packed-refs` file.
[[def_reflog]]reflog::
A reflog shows the local "history" of a ref. In other words,
command.
[[def_tag]]tag::
- A <<def_ref,ref>> pointing to a <<def_tag_object,tag>> or
- <<def_commit_object,commit object>>. In contrast to a <<def_head,head>>,
- a tag is not changed by a <<def_commit,commit>>. Tags (not
- <<def_tag_object,tag objects>>) are stored in `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/`. A
- git tag has nothing to do with a Lisp tag (which would be
- called an <<def_object_type,object type>> in git's context). A
- tag is most typically used to mark a particular point in the
- commit ancestry <<def_chain,chain>>.
+ A <<def_ref,ref>> under `refs/tags/` namespace that points to an
+ object of an arbitrary type (typically a tag points to either a
+ <<def_tag_object,tag>> or a <<def_commit_object,commit object>>).
+ In contrast to a <<def_head,head>>, a tag is not updated by
+ the `commit` command. A git tag has nothing to do with a Lisp
+ tag (which would be called an <<def_object_type,object type>>
+ in git's context). A tag is most typically used to mark a particular
+ point in the commit ancestry <<def_chain,chain>>.
[[def_tag_object]]tag object::
An <<def_object,object>> containing a <<def_ref,ref>> pointing to