# misleading "man git-worktree", is last "add" argument necessarily a "branch"?

4 messages from 2018-01-17 to 2018-01-17. Participants: Robert P. J. Day, Duy Nguyen, Junio C Hamano.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/47622

## Robert P. J. Day, 2018-01-17 12:58

Subject: misleading "man git-worktree", is last "add" argument necessarily a "branch"?
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.21.1801170455380.16166@localhost.localdomain>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/alpine.LFD.2.21.1801170455380.16166%40localhost.localdomain

```

  perusing "git worktree", and man page reads:

  SYNOPSIS
       git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock]   \
                        [-b <new-branch>] <path> [<branch>]
                                                 ^^^^^^^^^^

however, can't that last optional argument be any arbitrary commit,
not just a "branch"?

rday

```

## Duy Nguyen, 2018-01-17 13:34

Subject: Re: misleading "man git-worktree", is last "add" argument necessarily a "branch"?
Message-ID: <CACsJy8A0BcdqwkDDd0Fx_8DDCgJc6gZaXkcYqysdv8BH1nvibQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CACsJy8A0BcdqwkDDd0Fx_8DDCgJc6gZaXkcYqysdv8BH1nvibQ%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LFD.2.21.1801170455380.16166@localhost.localdomain>

```
On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 7:58 PM, Robert P. J. Day <rpjday@crashcourse.ca> wrote:
>
>   perusing "git worktree", and man page reads:
>
>   SYNOPSIS
>        git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock]   \
>                         [-b <new-branch>] <path> [<branch>]
>                                                  ^^^^^^^^^^
>
> however, can't that last optional argument be any arbitrary commit,
> not just a "branch"?

It's been changed to commit-ish about two months ago in c4738aedc0
(worktree: add can be created from any commit-ish - 2017-11-26)
-- 
Duy

```

## Robert P. J. Day, 2018-01-17 13:42

Subject: Re: misleading "man git-worktree", is last "add" argument necessarily a "branch"?
Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.21.1801170541570.17204@localhost.localdomain>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/alpine.LFD.2.21.1801170541570.17204%40localhost.localdomain
In-Reply-To: <CACsJy8A0BcdqwkDDd0Fx_8DDCgJc6gZaXkcYqysdv8BH1nvibQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
On Wed, 17 Jan 2018, Duy Nguyen wrote:

> On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 7:58 PM, Robert P. J. Day <rpjday@crashcourse.ca> wrote:
> >
> >   perusing "git worktree", and man page reads:
> >
> >   SYNOPSIS
> >        git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock]   \
> >                         [-b <new-branch>] <path> [<branch>]
> >                                                  ^^^^^^^^^^
> >
> > however, can't that last optional argument be any arbitrary commit,
> > not just a "branch"?
>
> It's been changed to commit-ish about two months ago in c4738aedc0
> (worktree: add can be created from any commit-ish - 2017-11-26)

  guess i better update my repo, thanks.

rday

```

## Junio C Hamano, 2018-01-17 18:32

Subject: Re* misleading "man git-worktree", is last "add" argument necessarily a "branch"?
Message-ID: <xmqqh8rks5dr.fsf_-_@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqh8rks5dr.fsf_-_%40gitster.mtv.corp.google.com
In-Reply-To: <CACsJy8A0BcdqwkDDd0Fx_8DDCgJc6gZaXkcYqysdv8BH1nvibQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com> writes:

> On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 7:58 PM, Robert P. J. Day <rpjday@crashcourse.ca> wrote:
>>
>>   perusing "git worktree", and man page reads:
>>
>>   SYNOPSIS
>>        git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock]   \
>>                         [-b <new-branch>] <path> [<branch>]
>>                                                  ^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>> however, can't that last optional argument be any arbitrary commit,
>> not just a "branch"?
>
> It's been changed to commit-ish about two months ago in c4738aedc0
> (worktree: add can be created from any commit-ish - 2017-11-26)

Indeed "git worktree --help" is more up to date, but "git worktree
-h" is stale.

-- >8 --
Subject: worktree: say that "add" takes an arbitrary commit in short-help

c4738aed ("worktree: add can be created from any commit-ish",
2017-11-26) taught "git worktree add" to start a new worktree
with an arbitrary commit-ish checked out, not limited to a tip
of a branch.  

"git worktree --help" was updated to describe this, but we forgot to
update "git worktree -h".

Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
---
 builtin/worktree.c | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/builtin/worktree.c b/builtin/worktree.c
index 7cef5b120b..9efdc22466 100644
--- a/builtin/worktree.c
+++ b/builtin/worktree.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "worktree.h"
 
 static const char * const worktree_usage[] = {
-	N_("git worktree add [<options>] <path> [<branch>]"),
+	N_("git worktree add [<options>] <path> [<commit-ish>]"),
 	N_("git worktree list [<options>]"),
 	N_("git worktree lock [<options>] <path>"),
 	N_("git worktree prune [<options>]"),



```