GIT-BRANCH(1)                                              Git Manual                                              GIT-BRANCH(1)



NAME
       git-branch - List, create, or delete branches

SYNOPSIS
       git branch [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [-r | -a]
               [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
               [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]]
       git branch [--set-upstream | --track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
       git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
       git branch (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...


DESCRIPTION
       With no arguments, existing branches are listed and the current branch will be highlighted with an asterisk. Option -r
       causes the remote-tracking branches to be listed, and option -a shows both.

       With --contains, shows only the branches that contain the named commit (in other words, the branches whose tip commits
       are descendants of the named commit). With --merged, only branches merged into the named commit (i.e. the branches whose
       tip commits are reachable from the named commit) will be listed. With --no-merged only branches not merged into the named
       commit will be listed. If the <commit> argument is missing it defaults to HEAD (i.e. the tip of the current branch).

       The command's second form creates a new branch head named <branchname> which points to the current HEAD, or <start-point>
       if given.

       Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>"
       to switch to the new branch.

       When a local branch is started off a remote-tracking branch, git sets up the branch so that git pull will appropriately
       merge from the remote-tracking branch. This behavior may be changed via the global branch.autosetupmerge configuration
       flag. That setting can be overridden by using the --track and --no-track options, and changed later using git branch
       --set-upstream.

       With a -m or -M option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>. If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is
       renamed to match <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M
       must be used to force the rename to happen.

       With a -d or -D option, <branchname> will be deleted. You may specify more than one branch for deletion. If the branch
       currently has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.

       Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it only makes sense to delete remote-tracking
       branches if they no longer exist in the remote repository or if git fetch was configured not to fetch them again. See
       also the prune subcommand of git-remote(1) for a way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.

OPTIONS
       -d
           Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its upstream branch, or in HEAD if no upstream was set with
           --track or --set-upstream.

       -D
           Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.

       -l
           Create the branch's reflog. This activates recording of all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
           based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@{yesterday}". Note that in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually
           enabled by default by the core.logallrefupdates config option.

       -f, --force
           Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists already. Without -f git branch refuses to change an
           existing branch.

       -m
           Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.

       -M
           Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.

       --color[=<when>]
           Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote-tracking branches. The value must be always (the default),
           never, or auto.

       --no-color
           Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the default to color output. Same as --color=never.

       -r
           List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.

       -a
           List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.

       -v, --verbose
           Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice,
           print the name of the upstream branch, as well.

       --abbrev=<length>
           Alter the sha1's minimum display length in the output listing. The default value is 7.

       --no-abbrev
           Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.

       -t, --track
           When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch.
           This configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the two branches in git status and git branch -v.
           Furthermore, it directs git pull without arguments to pull from the upstream when the new branch is checked out.

           This behavior is the default when the start point is a remote-tracking branch. Set the branch.autosetupmerge
           configuration variable to false if you want git checkout and git branch to always behave as if --no-track were given.
           Set it to always if you want this behavior when the start-point is either a local or remote-tracking branch.

       --no-track
           Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.

       --set-upstream
           If specified branch does not exist yet or if --force has been given, acts exactly like --track. Otherwise sets up
           configuration like --track would when creating the branch, except that where branch points to is not changed.

       --contains <commit>
           Only list branches which contain the specified commit.

       --merged [<commit>]
           Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the specified commit (HEAD if not specified).

       --no-merged [<commit>]
           Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the specified commit (HEAD if not specified).

       <branchname>
           The name of the branch to create or delete. The new branch name must pass all checks defined by git-check-ref-
           format(1). Some of these checks may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.

       <start-point>
           The new branch head will point to this commit. It may be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag. If this
           option is omitted, the current HEAD will be used instead.

       <oldbranch>
           The name of an existing branch to rename.

       <newbranch>
           The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for <branchname> apply.

EXAMPLES
       Start development from a known tag

               $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
               $ cd my2.6
               $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14   (1)
               $ git checkout my2.6.14

           1. This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".

       Delete an unneeded branch

               $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
               $ cd my.git
               $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man   (1)
               $ git branch -D test                                    (2)

           1. Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next fetch or pull will create them again unless
           you configure them not to. See git-fetch(1).
           2. Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch is currently checked out) does not have
           all commits from the test branch.

NOTES
       If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it is easier to use the git checkout command with its
       -b option to create a branch and check it out with a single command.

       The options --contains, --merged and --no-merged serve three related but different purposes:

       o    --contains <commit> is used to find all branches which will need special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or
           amended, since those branches contain the specified <commit>.

       o    --merged is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted, since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.

       o    --no-merged is used to find branches which are candidates for merging into HEAD, since those branches are not fully
           contained by HEAD.

SEE ALSO
       git-check-ref-format(1), git-fetch(1), git-remote(1), "Understanding history: What is a branch?"[1] in the Git User's
       Manual.

AUTHOR
       Written by Linus Torvalds <torvaldsATosdl.org[2]> and Junio C Hamano <gitsterATpobox.com[3]>

DOCUMENTATION
       Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <gitATvger.org[4]>.

GIT
       Part of the git(1) suite

NOTES
        1. "Understanding history: What is a branch?"
           file:///usr/share/doc/git-1.7.4.4/user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch

        2. torvaldsATosdl.org
           mailto:torvaldsATosdl.org

        3. gitsterATpobox.com
           mailto:gitsterATpobox.com

        4. gitATvger.org
           mailto:gitATvger.org



Git 1.7.4.4                                                04/11/2011                                              GIT-BRANCH(1)