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git-check-ref-format(1)
=======================
 
NAME
----
git-check-ref-format - Make sure ref name is well formed
 
SYNOPSIS
--------
'git-check-ref-format' <refname>
 
DESCRIPTION
-----------
Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits non-zero if
it is not.
 
A reference is used in git to specify branches and tags.  A
branch head is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` directory, and
a tag is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory.  git
imposes the following rules on how refs are named:
 
. It could be named hierarchically (i.e. separated with slash
  `/`), but each of its component cannot begin with a dot `.`;
 
. It cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere;
 
. It cannot have ASCII control character (i.e. bytes whose
  values are lower than \040, or \177 `DEL`), space, tilde `~`,
  caret `{caret}`, colon `:`, question-mark `?`, asterisk `*`,
  or open bracket `[` anywhere;
 
. It cannot end with a slash `/`.
 
These rules makes it easy for shell script based tools to parse
refnames, pathname expansion by the shell when a refname is used
unquoted (by mistake), and also avoids ambiguities in certain
refname expressions (see gitlink:git-rev-parse[1]).  Namely:
 
. double-dot `..` are often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some
  context this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in
  ref1 and in ref2).
 
. tilde `~` and caret `{caret}` are used to introduce postfix
  'nth parent' and 'peel onion' operation.
 
. colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s
  value and store it in dstref" in fetch and push operations.
 
 
GIT
---
Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite