From: Kaartic Sivaraam Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2017 17:28:33 +0000 (+0530) Subject: Doc/checkout: checking out using @{-N} can lead to detached state X-Git-Tag: v2.16.0-rc0~58^2 X-Git-Url: https://git.lorimer.id.au/gitweb.git/diff_plain/75ce14957507bc310ad118df08c4a85fd9cedc0d Doc/checkout: checking out using @{-N} can lead to detached state @{-N} is a syntax for the N-th last "checkout" and not the N-th last "branch". Therefore, in some cases using `git checkout @{-$N}` DOES lead to a "detached HEAD" state. This can also be ensured by the commit message of 75d6e552a (Documentation: @{-N} can refer to a commit, 2014-01-19) which clearly specifies how @{-N} can be used to refer not only to a branch but also to a commit. Correct the misleading sentence which states that @{-N} doesn't detach HEAD. Signed-off-by: Kaartic Sivaraam Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano --- diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt index 8e2c0662dd..66372512f7 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt @@ -263,11 +263,11 @@ section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to operate the `--patch` mode. commit, your HEAD becomes "detached" and you are no longer on any branch (see below for details). + -As a special case, the `"@{-N}"` syntax for the N-th last branch/commit -checks out branches (instead of detaching). You may also specify -`-` which is synonymous with `"@{-1}"`. +You can use the `"@{-N}"` syntax to refer to the N-th last +branch/commit checked out using "git checkout" operation. You may +also specify `-` which is synonymous to `"@{-1}`. + -As a further special case, you may use `"A...B"` as a shortcut for the +As a special case, you may use `"A...B"` as a shortcut for the merge base of `A` and `B` if there is exactly one merge base. You can leave out at most one of `A` and `B`, in which case it defaults to `HEAD`.