SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
-'git update-ref' [-m <reason>] (-d <ref> [<oldvalue>] | [--no-deref] <ref> <newvalue> [<oldvalue>] | --stdin [-z])
+'git update-ref' [-m <reason>] (-d <ref> [<oldvalue>] | [--no-deref]
[--create-reflog] <ref> <newvalue> [<oldvalue>] | --stdin [-z])
DESCRIPTION
-----------
verify SP <ref> [SP <oldvalue>] LF
option SP <opt> LF
+With `--create-reflog`, update-ref will create a reflog for each ref
+even if one would not ordinarily be created.
+
Quote fields containing whitespace as if they were strings in C source
-code. Alternatively, use `-z` to specify commands without quoting:
+code; i.e., surrounded by double-quotes and with backslash escapes.
+Use 40 "0" characters or the empty string to specify a zero value. To
+specify a missing value, omit the value and its preceding SP entirely.
+
+Alternatively, use `-z` to specify in NUL-terminated format, without
+quoting:
update SP <ref> NUL <newvalue> NUL [<oldvalue>] NUL
create SP <ref> NUL <newvalue> NUL
verify SP <ref> NUL [<oldvalue>] NUL
option SP <opt> NUL
-Lines of any other format or a repeated <ref> produce an error.
-Command meanings are:
+In this format, use 40 "0" to specify a zero value, and use the empty
+string to specify a missing value.
+
+In either format, values can be specified in any form that Git
+recognizes as an object name. Commands in any other format or a
+repeated <ref> produce an error. Command meanings are:
update::
Set <ref> to <newvalue> after verifying <oldvalue>, if given.
The only valid option is `no-deref` to avoid dereferencing
a symbolic ref.
-Use 40 "0" or the empty string to specify a zero value, except that
-with `-z` an empty <oldvalue> is considered missing.
-
If all <ref>s can be locked with matching <oldvalue>s
simultaneously, all modifications are performed. Otherwise, no
modifications are performed. Note that while each individual