# Branches ### Formatting * Branch naming should be clear and use slashes e.g. routing/campground * So you can easily search for all branches of that type: `git branch --list "routing/*"`
DescriptionCommands

List all branches

  • q key to exit list
  • -avv more info in list (also shows hidden branches)

git branch

git branch -avv

Create a new branchgit branch <BRANCH_NAME>
Create a new branch and checkout at the same timegit checkout -b <BRANCH_NAME>

Change to a branch

  • switch also works for changing branches

git checkout <BRANCH_NAME>

git switch <BRANCH_NAME>

Checkout a specific commit rather than a whole branch

  • This moves HEAD to the specific commit
git checkout <COMMIT_HASH>

Relative references

  • Move up ancestors from a specific reference point
  • ^ moves to the first parent of the ref e.g.main^ and ^^ to the second parent, etc.
  • ^2 moves to the second parent if the current commit has two or more parents to move back towards
  • Use HEAD^ to travel backwards as the relative reference moves with you
  • ~ moves a specified number of commits backwards e.g. HEAD~4
  • I think ~ without a number is the same as ^
  • The modifiers can also be chained together in a single command!

git checkout <REF>^

git checkout HEAD^

git checkout HEAD^2

git checkout HEAD~4

git checkout HEAD~2^2~2

Moving a branch (Branch forcing) to a new location

  • -f forces the command to happen
git branch -f <BRANCH_TO_MOVE> <LOCATION_TO_MOVE>

Merge two branches

  • The branch name used should be the one you are not currently in
git merge <BRANCH_NAME>
Delete a branchgit branch -d <BRANCH_NAME>
Delete branch on Remotegit push <REMOTE_NAME> --delete <BRANCH_NAME>
List of changes that will be merged into the current branchgit log ..<BRANCH_NAME>

Formatting branch names

  • Branch naming should be clear and use slashes e.g. routing/campground
  • So you can easily search for all branches of that type
git branch --list "routing/*"

Remote tracking

  • You can make any arbitrary branch track o/main, and if you do so, that branch will have the same implied push destination and merge target as main
  • This means you can run git push on a branch named totallyNotMain and have your work pushed to the main branch on the remote!
  • There are two ways to set this property. The first is to checkout a new branch by using a remote branch as the specified ref
  • Another way to set remote tracking on a branch is to simply use the git branch -u option

    • <BRANCH_NAME> is not needed if you are already on the branch you want to use as the remote tracking reference

git checkout -b <NEW_BRANCH_NAME> <REMOTE_REF>

git checkout -b totallyNotMain origin/main

git branch -u <REMOTE_REF> <BRANCH_NAME>

git branch -u origin/main foo

Deleting an ambiguous local branch

  • If you've made a mistake and somehow created a local branch with the same name as a remote branch, you can either rename the local branch or delete it in the local file system
rm -r .git/refs/heads/<BRANCH_TO_DELETE>
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