:: The "remote" repository that is the source of a fetch or pull operation, or the destination of a push operation. One of the following notations can be used to name the remote repository: + =============================================================== - Rsync URL: rsync://remote.machine/path/to/repo.git/ - HTTP(s) URL: http://remote.machine/path/to/repo.git/ - git URL: git://remote.machine/path/to/repo.git/ - ssh URL: remote.machine:/path/to/repo.git/ - Local directory: /path/to/repo.git/ =============================================================== + In addition to the above, as a short-hand, the name of a file in `$GIT_DIR/remotes` directory can be given; the named file should be in the following format: + URL: one of the above URL format Push: Pull: + When such a short-hand is specified in place of without parameters on the command line, specified on `Push:` lines or `Pull:` lines are used for `git-push` and `git-fetch`/`git-pull`, respectively. Multiple `Push:` and and `Pull:` lines may be specified for additional branch mappings. + The name of a file in `$GIT_DIR/branches` directory can be specified as an older notation short-hand; the named file should contain a single line, a URL in one of the above formats, optionally followed by a hash `#` and the name of remote head (URL fragment notation). `$GIT_DIR/branches/` file that stores a without the fragment is equivalent to have this in the corresponding file in the `$GIT_DIR/remotes/` directory. + URL: Pull: refs/heads/master: + while having `#` is equivalent to + URL: Pull: refs/heads/: :: The canonical format of a parameter is `+?:`; that is, an optional plus `+`, followed by the source ref, followed by a colon `:`, followed by the destination ref. + When used in `git-push`, the side can be an arbitrary "SHA1 expression" that can be used as an argument to `git-cat-file -t`. E.g. `master~4` (push four parents before the current master head). + For `git-push`, the local ref that matches is used to fast forward the remote ref that matches . If the optional plus `+` is used, the remote ref is updated even if it does not result in a fast forward update. + For `git-fetch` and `git-pull`, the remote ref that matches is fetched, and if is not empty string, the local ref that matches it is fast forwarded using . Again, if the optional plus `+` is used, the local ref is updated even if it does not result in a fast forward update. + [NOTE] If the remote branch from which you want to pull is modified in non-linear ways such as being rewound and rebased frequently, then a pull will attempt a merge with an older version of itself, likely conflict, and fail. It is under these conditions that you would want to use the `+` sign to indicate non-fast-forward updates will be needed. There is currently no easy way to determine or declare that a branch will be made available in a repository with this behavior; the pulling user simply must know this is the expected usage pattern for a branch. + [NOTE] You never do your own development on branches that appear on the right hand side of a colon on `Pull:` lines; they are to be updated by `git-fetch`. If you intend to do development derived from a remote branch `B`, have a `Pull:` line to track it (i.e. `Pull: B:remote-B`), and have a separate branch `my-B` to do your development on top of it. The latter is created by `git branch my-B remote-B` (or its equivalent `git checkout -b my-B remote-B`). Run `git fetch` to keep track of the progress of the remote side, and when you see something new on the remote branch, merge it into your development branch with `git pull . remote-B`, while you are on `my-B` branch. The common `Pull: master:origin` mapping of a remote `master` branch to a local `origin` branch, which is then merged to a ocal development branch, again typically named `master`, is made when you run `git clone` for you to follow this pattern. + [NOTE] There is a difference between listing multiple directly on `git-pull` command line and having multiple `Pull:` lines for a and running `git-pull` command without any explicit parameters. listed explicitly on the command line are always merged into the current branch after fetching. In other words, if you list more than one remote refs, you would be making an Octopus. While `git-pull` run without any explicit parameter takes default s from `Pull:` lines, it merges only the first found into the current branch, after fetching all the remote refs. This is because making an Octopus from remote refs is rarely done, while keeping track of multiple remote heads in one-go by fetching more than one is often useful. + Some short-cut notations are also supported. + * For backward compatibility, `tag` is almost ignored; it just makes the following parameter to mean a refspec `refs/tags/:refs/tags/`. * A parameter without a colon is equivalent to : when pulling/fetching, and `:` when pushing. That is, do not store it locally if fetching, and update the same name if pushing.