Merge branch 'cr/doc-checkout-branch'
Document the magic "git checkout <no-such-branch>" hack to create
local branch out of a remote tracking branch that hasn't been
documented so far.
* cr/doc-checkout-branch:
Documentation/git-checkout.txt: document 70c9ac2 behavior
Documentation/git-checkout.txt: clarify usage
diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
index 7958a47..6f04d22 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
@@ -21,18 +21,34 @@
also update `HEAD` to set the specified branch as the current
branch.
-'git checkout' [<branch>]::
-'git checkout' -b|-B <new_branch> [<start point>]::
-'git checkout' [--detach] [<commit>]::
-
- This form switches branches by updating the index, working
- tree, and HEAD to reflect the specified branch or commit.
+'git checkout' <branch>::
+ To prepare for working on <branch>, switch to it by updating
+ the index and the files in the working tree, and by pointing
+ HEAD at the branch. Local modifications to the files in the
+ working tree are kept, so that they can be committed to the
+ <branch>.
+
-If `-b` is given, a new branch is created as if linkgit:git-branch[1]
-were called and then checked out; in this case you can
-use the `--track` or `--no-track` options, which will be passed to
-'git branch'. As a convenience, `--track` without `-b` implies branch
-creation; see the description of `--track` below.
+If <branch> is not found but there does exist a tracking branch in
+exactly one remote (call it <remote>) with a matching name, treat as
+equivalent to
++
+------------
+$ git checkout -b <branch> --track <remote>/<branch>
+------------
++
+You could omit <branch>, in which case the command degenerates to
+"check out the current branch", which is a glorified no-op with a
+rather expensive side-effects to show only the tracking information,
+if exists, for the current branch.
+
+'git checkout' -b|-B <new_branch> [<start point>]::
+
+ Specifying `-b` causes a new branch to be created as if
+ linkgit:git-branch[1] were called and then checked out. In
+ this case you can use the `--track` or `--no-track` options,
+ which will be passed to 'git branch'. As a convenience,
+ `--track` without `-b` implies branch creation; see the
+ description of `--track` below.
+
If `-B` is given, <new_branch> is created if it doesn't exist; otherwise, it
is reset. This is the transactional equivalent of
@@ -45,6 +61,21 @@
that is to say, the branch is not reset/created unless "git checkout" is
successful.
+'git checkout' --detach [<branch>]::
+'git checkout' <commit>::
+
+ Prepare to work on top of <commit>, by detaching HEAD at it
+ (see "DETACHED HEAD" section), and updating the index and the
+ files in the working tree. Local modifications to the files
+ in the working tree are kept, so that the resulting working
+ tree will be the state recorded in the commit plus the local
+ modifications.
++
+Passing `--detach` forces this behavior in the case of a <branch> (without
+the option, giving a branch name to the command would check out the branch,
+instead of detaching HEAD at it), or the current commit,
+if no <branch> is specified.
+
'git checkout' [-p|--patch] [<tree-ish>] [--] <pathspec>...::
When <paths> or `--patch` are given, 'git checkout' does *not*
