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diff --git a/Documentation/git-symbolic-ref.txt b/Documentation/git-symbolic-ref.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..102c83e --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/git-symbolic-ref.txt @@ -0,0 +1,78 @@ +git-symbolic-ref(1) +=================== + +NAME +---- +git-symbolic-ref - Read, modify and delete symbolic refs + +SYNOPSIS +-------- +[verse] +'git symbolic-ref' [-m <reason>] <name> <ref> +'git symbolic-ref' [-q] [--short] [--no-recurse] <name> +'git symbolic-ref' --delete [-q] <name> + +DESCRIPTION +----------- +Given one argument, reads which branch head the given symbolic +ref refers to and outputs its path, relative to the `.git/` +directory. Typically you would give `HEAD` as the <name> +argument to see which branch your working tree is on. + +Given two arguments, creates or updates a symbolic ref <name> to +point at the given branch <ref>. + +Given `--delete` and an additional argument, deletes the given +symbolic ref. + +A symbolic ref is a regular file that stores a string that +begins with `ref: refs/`. For example, your `.git/HEAD` is +a regular file whose contents is `ref: refs/heads/master`. + +OPTIONS +------- + +-d:: +--delete:: + Delete the symbolic ref <name>. + +-q:: +--quiet:: + Do not issue an error message if the <name> is not a + symbolic ref but a detached HEAD; instead exit with + non-zero status silently. + +--short:: + When showing the value of <name> as a symbolic ref, try to shorten the + value, e.g. from `refs/heads/master` to `master`. + +--recurse:: +--no-recurse:: + When showing the value of <name> as a symbolic ref, if + <name> refers to another symbolic ref, follow such a chain + of symbolic refs until the result no longer points at a + symbolic ref (`--recurse`, which is the default). + `--no-recurse` stops after dereferencing only a single level + of symbolic ref. + +-m:: + Update the reflog for <name> with <reason>. This is valid only + when creating or updating a symbolic ref. + +NOTES +----- +In the past, `.git/HEAD` was a symbolic link pointing at +`refs/heads/master`. When we wanted to switch to another branch, +we did `ln -sf refs/heads/newbranch .git/HEAD`, and when we wanted +to find out which branch we are on, we did `readlink .git/HEAD`. +But symbolic links are not entirely portable, so they are now +deprecated and symbolic refs (as described above) are used by +default. + +'git symbolic-ref' will exit with status 0 if the contents of the +symbolic ref were printed correctly, with status 1 if the requested +name is not a symbolic ref, or 128 if another error occurs. + +GIT +--- +Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite |