89dd32aedc
"git check-ref-format --branch $name" feature was originally
introduced (and was advertised) as a way for scripts to take any
end-user supplied string (like "master", "@{-1}" etc.) and see if it
is usable when Git expects to see a branch name, and also obtain the
concrete branch name that the at-mark magic expands to.
Emphasize that "see if it is usable" role in the description and
clarify that the @{...} expansion only occurs when run from within a
repository.
[jn: split out from a larger patch]
Helped-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
135 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
135 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
git-check-ref-format(1)
|
|
=======================
|
|
|
|
NAME
|
|
----
|
|
git-check-ref-format - Ensures that a reference name is well formed
|
|
|
|
SYNOPSIS
|
|
--------
|
|
[verse]
|
|
'git check-ref-format' [--normalize]
|
|
[--[no-]allow-onelevel] [--refspec-pattern]
|
|
<refname>
|
|
'git check-ref-format' --branch <branchname-shorthand>
|
|
|
|
DESCRIPTION
|
|
-----------
|
|
Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits with a non-zero
|
|
status if it is not.
|
|
|
|
A reference is used in Git to specify branches and tags. A
|
|
branch head is stored in the `refs/heads` hierarchy, while
|
|
a tag is stored in the `refs/tags` hierarchy of the ref namespace
|
|
(typically in `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` and `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags`
|
|
directories or, as entries in file `$GIT_DIR/packed-refs`
|
|
if refs are packed by `git gc`).
|
|
|
|
Git imposes the following rules on how references are named:
|
|
|
|
. They can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory)
|
|
grouping, but no slash-separated component can begin with a
|
|
dot `.` or end with the sequence `.lock`.
|
|
|
|
. They must contain at least one `/`. This enforces the presence of a
|
|
category like `heads/`, `tags/` etc. but the actual names are not
|
|
restricted. If the `--allow-onelevel` option is used, this rule
|
|
is waived.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot have ASCII control characters (i.e. bytes whose
|
|
values are lower than \040, or \177 `DEL`), space, tilde `~`,
|
|
caret `^`, or colon `:` anywhere.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot have question-mark `?`, asterisk `*`, or open
|
|
bracket `[` anywhere. See the `--refspec-pattern` option below for
|
|
an exception to this rule.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot begin or end with a slash `/` or contain multiple
|
|
consecutive slashes (see the `--normalize` option below for an
|
|
exception to this rule)
|
|
|
|
. They cannot end with a dot `.`.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot contain a sequence `@{`.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot be the single character `@`.
|
|
|
|
. They cannot contain a `\`.
|
|
|
|
These rules make it easy for shell script based tools to parse
|
|
reference names, pathname expansion by the shell when a reference name is used
|
|
unquoted (by mistake), and also avoid ambiguities in certain
|
|
reference name expressions (see linkgit:gitrevisions[7]):
|
|
|
|
. A double-dot `..` is often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some
|
|
contexts this notation means `^ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in
|
|
`ref1` and in `ref2`).
|
|
|
|
. A tilde `~` and caret `^` are used to introduce the postfix
|
|
'nth parent' and 'peel onion' operation.
|
|
|
|
. A colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s
|
|
value and store it in dstref" in fetch and push operations.
|
|
It may also be used to select a specific object such as with
|
|
'git cat-file': "git cat-file blob v1.3.3:refs.c".
|
|
|
|
. at-open-brace `@{` is used as a notation to access a reflog entry.
|
|
|
|
With the `--branch` option, the command takes a name and checks if
|
|
it can be used as a valid branch name (e.g. when creating a new
|
|
branch). The rule `git check-ref-format --branch $name` implements
|
|
may be stricter than what `git check-ref-format refs/heads/$name`
|
|
says (e.g. a dash may appear at the beginning of a ref component,
|
|
but it is explicitly forbidden at the beginning of a branch name).
|
|
When run with `--branch` option in a repository, the input is first
|
|
expanded for the ``previous branch syntax''
|
|
`@{-n}`. For example, `@{-1}` is a way to refer the last branch you
|
|
were on. This option should be used by porcelains to accept this
|
|
syntax anywhere a branch name is expected, so they can act as if you
|
|
typed the branch name.
|
|
|
|
OPTIONS
|
|
-------
|
|
--[no-]allow-onelevel::
|
|
Controls whether one-level refnames are accepted (i.e.,
|
|
refnames that do not contain multiple `/`-separated
|
|
components). The default is `--no-allow-onelevel`.
|
|
|
|
--refspec-pattern::
|
|
Interpret <refname> as a reference name pattern for a refspec
|
|
(as used with remote repositories). If this option is
|
|
enabled, <refname> is allowed to contain a single `*`
|
|
in the refspec (e.g., `foo/bar*/baz` or `foo/bar*baz/`
|
|
but not `foo/bar*/baz*`).
|
|
|
|
--normalize::
|
|
Normalize 'refname' by removing any leading slash (`/`)
|
|
characters and collapsing runs of adjacent slashes between
|
|
name components into a single slash. If the normalized
|
|
refname is valid then print it to standard output and exit
|
|
with a status of 0, otherwise exit with a non-zero status.
|
|
(`--print` is a deprecated way to spell `--normalize`.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXAMPLES
|
|
--------
|
|
|
|
* Print the name of the previous branch:
|
|
+
|
|
------------
|
|
$ git check-ref-format --branch @{-1}
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
* Determine the reference name to use for a new branch:
|
|
+
|
|
------------
|
|
$ ref=$(git check-ref-format --normalize "refs/heads/$newbranch")||
|
|
{ echo "we do not like '$newbranch' as a branch name." >&2 ; exit 1 ; }
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
GIT
|
|
---
|
|
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite
|