From: Jakub Narebski <jnareb@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:03:03 GMT
Subject: Re: [Q] Changing the current branch (HEAD) in a bare repository - how?
Message-ID: <m3k5h2y2iz.fsf@localhost.localdomain>
In-Reply-To: <a537dd660806060843p4e92932x4e0f5464c5fd1da1@mail.gmail.com>

"Brian Foster" <brian.foster@innova-card.com> writes:

>  Using git 1.5.2.5 (Kubuntu 7.10) and a bare repository,
>  I started with (the commands and output below are typed
>  in by hand, mostly from memory):
> 
>     $ git branch -a
>     * master
>       foo
>     $
> 
>  and then changed the branch names:
> 
>     $ git branch -m master old-master
>     $ git branch -m foo master
> 
>  and got this:
> 
>     $ git branch -a
>       master
>     * old-master
>     $
> 
>  Now, how do I change the current branch to the (new)
>  `master'?  A `checkout' fails:
> 
>     $ git checkout master
>     fatal: /usr/bin/git-checkout cannot be used without a working tree.
>     $

In a bare repository it doesn't matter (almost) which branch is
current one (there is no _checked out_ branch, so it only matters as a
default checked out branch for clone, IIRC).
 
>  I (ultimately) hand-edited `HEAD' (apparently successfully),
>  but am wondering what I should have done or may have missed?

You have to rely on plumbing:

  $ git symbolic-ref HEAD master

(see documentation for details).
-- 
Jakub Narebski
Poland
ShadeHawk on #git