include::urls.txt[]
-REMOTES
--------
+REMOTES[[REMOTES]]
+------------------
-In addition to the above, as a short-hand, the name of a
-file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes` directory can be given; the
-named file should be in the following format:
+The name of one of the following can be used instead
+of a URL as `<repository>` argument:
+
+* a remote in the git configuration file: `$GIT_DIR/config`,
+* a file in the `$GIT_DIR/remotes` directory, or
+* a file in the `$GIT_DIR/branches` directory.
+
+All of these also allow you to omit the refspec from the command line
+because they each contain a refspec which git will use by default.
+
+Named remote in configuration file
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+You can choose to provide the name of a remote which you had previously
+configured using linkgit:git-remote[1], linkgit:git-config[1]
+or even by a manual edit to the `$GIT_DIR/config` file. The URL of
+this remote will be used to access the repository. The refspec
+of this remote will be used by default when you do
+not provide a refspec on the command line. The entry in the
+config file would appear like this:
+
+------------
+ [remote "<name>"]
+ url = <url>
+ push = <refspec>
+ fetch = <refspec>
+------------
+
+
+Named file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes`
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+You can choose to provide the name of a
+file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes`. The URL
+in this file will be used to access the repository. The refspec
+in this file will be used as default when you do not
+provide a refspec on the command line. This file should have the
+following format:
------------
URL: one of the above URL format
------------
-Then such a short-hand is specified in place of
-<repository> without <refspec> parameters on the command
-line, <refspec> specified on `Push:` lines or `Pull:`
-lines are used for `git-push` and `git-fetch`/`git-pull`,
-respectively. Multiple `Push:` and `Pull:` lines may
+`Push:` lines are used by 'git-push' and
+`Pull:` lines are used by 'git-pull' and 'git-fetch'.
+Multiple `Push:` and `Pull:` lines may
be specified for additional branch mappings.
-Or, equivalently, in the `$GIT_DIR/config` (note the use
-of `fetch` instead of `Pull:`):
+Named file in `$GIT_DIR/branches`
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------
- [remote "<remote>"]
- url = <url>
- push = <refspec>
- fetch = <refspec>
+You can choose to provide the name of a
+file in `$GIT_DIR/branches`.
+The URL in this file will be used to access the repository.
+This file should have the following format:
+
+------------
+ <url>#<head>
------------
-The name of a file in `$GIT_DIR/branches` directory can be
-specified as an older notation short-hand; the named
-file should contain a single line, a URL in one of the
-above formats, optionally followed by a hash `#` and the
-name of remote head (URL fragment notation).
-`$GIT_DIR/branches/<remote>` file that stores a <url>
-without the fragment is equivalent to have this in the
-corresponding file in the `$GIT_DIR/remotes/` directory.
+`<url>` is required; `#<head>` is optional.
-------------
- URL: <url>
- Pull: refs/heads/master:<remote>
+Depending on the operation, git will use one of the following
+refspecs, if you don't provide one on the command line.
+`<branch>` is the name of this file in `$GIT_DIR/branches` and
+`<head>` defaults to `master`.
+git fetch uses:
+
+------------
+ refs/heads/<head>:refs/heads/<branch>
------------
-while having `<url>#<head>` is equivalent to
+git push uses:
------------
- URL: <url>
- Pull: refs/heads/<head>:<remote>
+ HEAD:refs/heads/<head>
------------
+
+
+
+