A reference is used in git to specify branches and tags. A
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:
+a tag is stored under the `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory (or, if refs
+are packed by `git gc`, as entries in the `$GIT_DIR/packed-refs` file).
+git imposes the following rules on how references are named:
. They can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory)
grouping, but no slash-separated component can begin with a
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
-reference name expressions (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]):
+reference name expressions (see linkgit:gitrevisions[1]):
. A double-dot `..` is often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some
contexts this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in
. 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".
+ '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.