git-branch(1)
=============

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

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

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

In its second form, a new branch named <branchname> will be created.
It will start out with a head equal to the one given as <start-point>.
If no <start-point> is given, the branch will be created with a head
equal to that of the currently checked out branch.

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 branch, git can setup the
branch so that gitlink:git-pull[1] will appropriately merge from that
remote branch.  If this behavior is desired, it is possible to make it
the default using the global `branch.autosetupmerge` configuration
flag.  Otherwise, it can be chosen per-branch using the `--track`
and `--no-track` options.

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 remote repository or if gitlink:git-fetch[1] was configured not to fetch
them again. See also 'prune' subcommand of gitlink:git-remote[1] for way to
clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.


OPTIONS
-------
-d::
	Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in HEAD.

-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}".

-f::
	Force the creation of a new branch even if it means deleting
	a branch that already exists with the same name.

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

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

--color::
	Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote branches.

--no-color::
	Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
	default to color output.

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

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

-v::
	Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head.

--abbrev=<length>::
	Alter minimum display length for sha1 in output listing,
	default value is 7.

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

--track::
	Set up configuration so that git-pull will automatically
	retrieve data from the remote branch.  Use this if you always
	pull from the same remote branch into the new branch, or if you
	don't want to use "git pull <repository> <refspec>" explicitly.  Set the
	branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to true if you
	want git-checkout and git-branch to always behave as if
	'--track' were given.

--no-track::
	When a branch is created off a remote branch,
	set up configuration so that git-pull will not retrieve data
	from the remote branch, ignoring the branch.autosetupmerge
	configuration variable.

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

<start-point>::
	The new branch will be created with a HEAD equal to this.  It may
	be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag.  If this option
	is omitted, the current branch is assumed.

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

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


Examples
--------

Start development off of 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 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 remote-tracking branches "todo", "html", "man". Next 'fetch' or
'pull' will create them again unless you configure them not to. See
gitlink:git-fetch[1].
<2> Delete "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch is
currently checked out) does not have all commits from test branch.


Notes
-----

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


Author
------
Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> and Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>

Documentation
--------------
Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.

GIT
---
Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite