# Error in documentation for @{-n} in gitrevisions 3 messages from 2014-01-11 to 2014-01-19. Participants: Kevin, Ramkumar Ramachandra, Thomas Rast. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/35640 ## Kevin, 2014-01-11 17:34 Subject: Error in documentation for @{-n} in gitrevisions Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAO54GHBRbVQWDjE70tEZY%3DnP%3D%3DgtrqVvmx1JWYNkc_HOeDnYDA%40mail.gmail.com ``` While discussing the behavior of "git checkout -", I apparently was confused because the documentation states: The construct @{-} means the th branch checked out before the current one. But experimenting with it, it also takes you back to previously checkout commits. git-checkout-at-minus-one :: (master) » git checkout origin/master Note: checking out 'origin/master'. HEAD is now at f8b2f0c... two git-checkout-at-minus-one :: (f8b2f0c) » git checkout - Switched to branch 'master' git-checkout-at-minus-one :: (master) » git checkout - Note: checking out 'f8b2f0c1419d1fe798159c2c2578d2dbe1323148'. HEAD is now at f8b2f0c... two Either the documentation is wrong, and should be changed to "th branch/commit checkout out before the current one", or the behavior of @{-1} is wrong. ``` ## Ramkumar Ramachandra, 2014-01-12 10:19 Subject: Re: Error in documentation for @{-n} in gitrevisions Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CALkWK0k51%3DEk_r4eiX8kve%3DaoSwHxGjV9m_EbMnEadt6wALFwA%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` Kevin wrote: > Either the documentation is wrong, and should be changed to "th > branch/commit checkout out before the current one", or the behavior of > @{-1} is wrong. Yeah, the documentation needs to be updated. Patches welcome. ``` ## Thomas Rast, 2014-01-19 07:01 Subject: [PATCH] Documentation: @{-N} can refer to a commit Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/c9a93954276440ae251dd763837d5159923b6d59.1390114656.git.tr%40thomasrast.ch In-Reply-To: ``` The @{-N} syntax always referred to the N-th last thing checked out, which can be either a branch or a commit (for detached HEAD cases). However, the documentation only mentioned branches. Edit in a "/commit" in the appropriate places. Reported-by: Kevin Signed-off-by: Thomas Rast --- This is the "minimal" edit. I'd welcome better wording for the git-commit manpage, I can't come up with any right now. Documentation/git-checkout.txt | 4 ++-- Documentation/revisions.txt | 2 +- 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt index 91294f8..33ad2ad 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt @@ -232,8 +232,8 @@ section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to operate the `--patch` mode. commit, your HEAD becomes "detached" and you are no longer on any branch (see below for details). + -As a special case, the `"@{-N}"` syntax for the N-th last branch -checks out the branch (instead of detaching). You may also specify +As a special case, the `"@{-N}"` syntax for the N-th last branch/commit +checks out branches (instead of detaching). You may also specify `-` which is synonymous with `"@{-1}"`. + As a further special case, you may use `"A...B"` as a shortcut for the diff --git a/Documentation/revisions.txt b/Documentation/revisions.txt index 2c06ed3..5a286d0 100644 --- a/Documentation/revisions.txt +++ b/Documentation/revisions.txt @@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ some output processing may assume ref names in UTF-8. branch 'blabla' then '@\{1\}' means the same as 'blabla@\{1\}'. '@\{-\}', e.g. '@\{-1\}':: - The construct '@\{-\}' means the th branch checked out + The construct '@\{-\}' means the th branch/commit checked out before the current one. '@\{upstream\}', e.g. 'master@\{upstream\}', '@\{u\}':: -- 1.9.rc0.162.g8980120 ```