From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 19:11:40 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH 07/11] Improve section "Manipulating branches"
Message-ID: <xmqqbo4jc5jn.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <1088240617.34545.1377626528726.JavaMail.ngmail@webmail19.arcor-online.net>

Thomas Ackermann <th.acker@arcor.de> writes:

>  `git branch -d <branch>`::
> -	delete the branch `<branch>`; if the branch you are deleting
> -	points to a commit which is not reachable from the current
> -	branch, this command will fail with a warning.
> +	delete the branch `<branch>`; if the branch is not fully
> +	merged in its upstream branch or contained in the current branch, 
> +	this command will fail with a warning.

This is not a new problem, but it fails with an error, not a warning
(which often is a message to caution but operation gets carried out
anyway).  For that matter, it might be better to say "stops", as it
is not a failure but is saving the user from losing information (in
other words, that is a different kind of success ;-).

It also stops you from deleting the branch you are currently on.  I
wonder if we want to mention that, too?

>  `git branch -D <branch>`::
> -	even if the branch points to a commit not reachable
> -	from the current branch, you may know that that commit
> -	is still reachable from some other branch or tag.  In that
> -	case it is safe to use this command to force Git to delete
> -	the branch.
> +	delete the branch `<branch>` irrespective of its merged status.
>  `git checkout <branch>`::
>  	make the current branch `<branch>`, updating the working
> -	directory to reflect the version referenced by `<branch>`
> +	directory to reflect the version referenced by `<branch>`.
>  `git checkout -b <new> <start-point>`::
>  	create a new branch `<new>` referencing `<start-point>`, and
>  	check it out.