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diff --git a/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt b/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..ee6a4144fbef --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt @@ -0,0 +1,140 @@ +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). But be cautious when using the +previous checkout syntax that may refer to a detached HEAD state. +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 checkout syntax'' +`@{-n}`. For example, `@{-1}` is a way to refer the last thing that +was checked out using "git switch" or "git checkout" operation. +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. As an +exception note that, the ``previous checkout operation'' might result +in a commit object name when the N-th last thing checked out was not +a branch. + +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 thing checked out: ++ +------------ +$ 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 |