RE: Git checkout multiple options issue

From: COLLOMB Joris -EXT <joris.collomb-ext@alstomgroup.com>
Date: Jan 28, 2019, 16:02 UTC
Message-ID: <HE1PR01MB3722F2B99E14165C952055BCA9960@HE1PR01MB3722.eurprd01.prod.exchangelabs.com>
In-Reply-To: <000701d4b71c$f3ba57f0$db2f07d0$@nexbridge.com>

> Once the branch is created, you can't force its creation, because it is already created.

Sorry to not be agree, in the man page of git branch:

       -f, --force
           Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists already. Without -f git branch refuses to change an existing branch. In combination with -d (or --delete), allow
           deleting the branch irrespective of its merged status. In combination with -m (or --move), allow renaming the branch even if the new branch name already exists.

The behavior I was expecting with git checkout -b -f "branch_name" is a checkout on a forced branch creation at <startpoint>.

So the only solution for me is : git branch -f "branch_name" && git checkout "branch_name"

So to resume:
- This is not an issue, just a divergence between my logic and git implementation.
- The message "Fatal:  '-f' is not a valid branch name." is maybe not optimal, and it may better be " Fatal:  you trying to force the creation of a branch. Please do "git branch -f" if you know what you're doing"

I still don't know if you understand me, But I really appreciate that you take some time to answer me.

Regards, Joris

-----Message d'origine----- De : Randall S. Becker <rsbecker@nexbridge.com> Envoyé : lundi 28 janvier 2019 16:20 À : COLLOMB Joris -EXT <joris.collomb-ext@alstomgroup.com>; git@vger.kernel.org Objet : RE: Git checkout multiple options issue

On January 28, 2019 9:25, COLLOMB Joris wrote:

Show 21 quoted lines

> -----Message d'origine-----
>> De : Randall S. Becker <rsbecker@nexbridge.com> Envoyé : lundi 28
>> janvier
>> 2019 15:12 À : COLLOMB Joris -EXT
>> <joris.collomb-ext@alstomgroup.com>;
>> git@vger.kernel.org Objet : RE: Git checkout multiple options issue
>>
>> On January 28, 2019 8:25, COLLOMB Joris wrote:
>> > git checkout -fb "branch_name"
>> > (force branch creation and checkout it)
>> >
>> > doesn't work (even if option a separated).
>> >
>> > I don't know if this is consider as an issue, but here it is.
>>
>> I think you might mean (which works on every platform I have):
>>
>> git checkout -f -b "branch_name"
>>
>> There is no provision for aggregating options into one. -fb (invalid)
>> is

not the

>> same as -f -b (valid).

> git checkout -f -b "branch_name"
> gives me " Fatal: A branch named 'branch_name' already exists."

Once the branch is created, you can't force its creation, because it is already created. Just

git checkout "branch_name"

is sufficient at this point. git is correct to complain that you are trying to create a branch that already exists.

git log --decorate --oneline --graph --all

will show you where your branch points in history at any given moment in time in a convenient form.

Show 5 quoted lines

> I understand that here the checkout is force, but not the branch creation.
> The opposite option order doesn't work:
>
> git checkout -b -f "branch_name"
> gives me "Fatal:  '-f' is not a valid branch name."

In this case, you are asking git to create a branch named -f (the -b branch option). Then "branch_name" becomes the reference that would be used to find the commit that -f would have pointed to. However, -f is not a valid name because it is an option and git is correct to reject it.

git checkout options are described here: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-checkout

Regards, Randall

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