Re: [PATCH] Clarify the git-branch documentation of default start-point

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jun 18, 2009, 05:48 UTC
Message-ID: <7vprd2148u.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <1245303673.24201.3.camel@localhost.localdomain>

Martin Nordholts <enselic@gmail.com> writes:

Show 5 quoted lines

> -	is omitted, the current branch is assumed.
> +	is omitted, the current branch is assumed.  Note that checking
> +	out a remote branch does not make it the current branch.  If a
> +	remote branch is desired as start-point it must be an explicity
> +	specified.

The first new sentence says

	$ git checkout origin/next

does not mean you will be _on_ the remote branch, 'next' you got from me in this example. By definition you cannot be on anything but a local branch, so the sentence is correct.

But "it" in the second new sentence is unclear.

You probably wanted to answer "If I wanted to have _my own 'next' branch_ that tracks 'next' from the remote, what should I do?"

And the answer would be either

	$ git checkout -t -b next origin/next

or its shorthand invented by Dscho which is

	$ git checkout -t origin/next

Now, is "it must be (an) explicit(l)y specified" a correct instruction to lead the readers to these solutions?