Skip to content

Commit 042d6f3

Browse files
jvnsgitster
authored andcommitted
doc: git-checkout: clarify -b and -B
From user feedback: several users reported having trouble understanding the difference between `-b` and `-B` ("I think it's because my brain expects it to contrast with `-b`, but instead it starts off explaining how they're the same"). Also, in `-B`, 2 users can't tell what the branch is reset *to*. Simplify the sentence structure in the explanations of `-b` and `-B` and add a little extra information (what `<start-point>` is, what the branch is reset to). Splitting up `-b` and `-B` into separate items helps simplify the sentence structure since there's less "In this case...". Replace the long "the branch is not reset/created unless "git checkout" is successful..." with just "will fail", since we should generally assume that Git will fail operations in a clean way and not leave operations half-finished, and that cases where it does not fail cleanly are the exceptions that the documentation should flag. Signed-off-by: Julia Evans <julia@jvns.ca> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
1 parent ab215e4 commit 042d6f3

File tree

1 file changed

+18
-26
lines changed

1 file changed

+18
-26
lines changed

Documentation/git-checkout.adoc

Lines changed: 18 additions & 26 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -47,27 +47,21 @@ $ git checkout -b <branch> --track <remote>/<branch>
4747
Running `git checkout` without specifying a branch has no effect except
4848
to print out the tracking information for the current branch.
4949
50-
`git checkout (-b|-B) <new-branch> [<start-point>]`::
51-
52-
Specifying `-b` causes a new branch to be created as if
53-
linkgit:git-branch[1] were called and then checked out. In
54-
this case you can use the `--track` or `--no-track` options,
55-
which will be passed to `git branch`. As a convenience,
56-
`--track` without `-b` implies branch creation; see the
57-
description of `--track` below.
58-
+
59-
If `-B` is given, _<new-branch>_ is created if it doesn't exist; otherwise, it
60-
is reset. This is the transactional equivalent of
61-
+
62-
------------
63-
$ git branch -f <branch> [<start-point>]
64-
$ git checkout <branch>
65-
------------
50+
`git checkout -b <new-branch> [<start-point>]`::
51+
52+
Create a new branch named _<new-branch>_, start it at _<start-point>_
53+
(defaults to the current commit), and check out the new branch.
54+
You can use the `--track` or `--no-track` options to set the branch's
55+
upstream tracking information.
6656
+
67-
that is to say, the branch is not reset/created unless "git checkout" is
68-
successful (e.g., when the branch is in use in another worktree, not
69-
just the current branch stays the same, but the branch is not reset to
70-
the start-point, either).
57+
This will fail if there's an error checking out _<new-branch>_, for
58+
example if checking out the `<start-point>` commit would overwrite your
59+
uncommitted changes.
60+
61+
`git checkout -B <branch> [<start-point>]`::
62+
63+
The same as `-b`, except that if the branch already exists it
64+
resets `_<branch>_` to the start point instead of failing.
7165
7266
`git checkout --detach [<branch>]`::
7367
`git checkout [--detach] <commit>`::
@@ -157,16 +151,14 @@ of it").
157151
see linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
158152
159153
`-B <new-branch>`::
160-
Creates the branch _<new-branch>_, start it at _<start-point>_;
161-
if it already exists, then reset it to _<start-point>_. And then
162-
check the resulting branch out. This is equivalent to running
163-
`git branch` with `-f` followed by `git checkout` of that branch;
164-
see linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
154+
The same as `-b`, except that if the branch already exists it
155+
resets `_<branch>_` to the start point instead of failing.
165156
166157
`-t`::
167158
`--track[=(direct|inherit)]`::
168159
When creating a new branch, set up "upstream" configuration. See
169-
`--track` in linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
160+
`--track` in linkgit:git-branch[1] for details. As a convenience,
161+
--track without -b implies branch creation.
170162
+
171163
If no `-b` option is given, the name of the new branch will be
172164
derived from the remote-tracking branch, by looking at the local part of

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)