[[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>>.
<<def_pack,pack>>, to assist in efficiently accessing the contents of a
pack.
+[[def_pathspec]]pathspec::
+ Pattern used to specify paths.
++
+Pathspecs are used on the command line of "git ls-files", "git
+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
+pathspec syntax is as follows:
+
+* any path matches itself
+* the pathspec up to the last slash represents a
+ directory prefix. The scope of that pathspec is
+ limited to that subtree.
+* the rest of the pathspec is a pattern for the remainder
+ of the pathname. Paths relative to the directory
+ prefix will be matched against that pattern using fnmatch(3);
+ in particular, '*' and '?' _can_ match directory separators.
++
+For example, Documentation/*.jpg will match all .jpg files
+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