gitglossary.html

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 306 </style>
 307 <title>gitglossary(7)</title>
 308 </head>
 309 <body>
 310 <div id="header">
 311 <h1>
 312 gitglossary(7) Manual Page
 313 </h1>
 314 <h2>NAME</h2>
 315 <div class="sectionbody">
 316 <p>gitglossary -
 317    A GIT Glossary
 318 </p>
 319 </div>
 320 </div>
 321 <h2>SYNOPSIS</h2>
 322 <div class="sectionbody">
 323 <div class="para"><p>*</p></div>
 324 </div>
 325 <h2 id="_description">DESCRIPTION</h2>
 326 <div class="sectionbody">
 327 <div class="vlist"><dl>
 328 <dt>
 329 <a id="def_alternate_object_database"></a>alternate object database
 330 </dt>
 331 <dd>
 332 <p>
 333         Via the alternates mechanism, a <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>
 334         can inherit part of its <a href="#def_object_database">object database</a>
 335         from another object database, which is called "alternate".
 336 </p>
 337 </dd>
 338 <dt>
 339 <a id="def_bare_repository"></a>bare repository
 340 </dt>
 341 <dd>
 342 <p>
 343         A bare repository is normally an appropriately
 344         named <a href="#def_directory">directory</a> with a <tt>.git</tt> suffix that does not
 345         have a locally checked-out copy of any of the files under
 346         revision control. That is, all of the <tt>git</tt>
 347         administrative and control files that would normally be present in the
 348         hidden <tt>.git</tt> sub-directory are directly present in the
 349         <tt>repository.git</tt> directory instead,
 350         and no other files are present and checked out. Usually publishers of
 351         public repositories make bare repositories available.
 352 </p>
 353 </dd>
 354 <dt>
 355 <a id="def_blob_object"></a>blob object
 356 </dt>
 357 <dd>
 358 <p>
 359         Untyped <a href="#def_object">object</a>, e.g. the contents of a file.
 360 </p>
 361 </dd>
 362 <dt>
 363 <a id="def_branch"></a>branch
 364 </dt>
 365 <dd>
 366 <p>
 367         A "branch" is an active line of development.  The most recent
 368         <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> on a branch is referred to as the tip of
 369         that branch.  The tip of the branch is referenced by a branch
 370         <a href="#def_head">head</a>, which moves forward as additional development
 371         is done on the branch.  A single git
 372         <a href="#def_repository">repository</a> can track an arbitrary number of
 373         branches, but your <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a> is
 374         associated with just one of them (the "current" or "checked out"
 375         branch), and <a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a> points to that branch.
 376 </p>
 377 </dd>
 378 <dt>
 379 <a id="def_cache"></a>cache
 380 </dt>
 381 <dd>
 382 <p>
 383         Obsolete for: <a href="#def_index">index</a>.
 384 </p>
 385 </dd>
 386 <dt>
 387 <a id="def_chain"></a>chain
 388 </dt>
 389 <dd>
 390 <p>
 391         A list of objects, where each <a href="#def_object">object</a> in the list contains
 392         a reference to its successor (for example, the successor of a
 393         <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> could be one of its <a href="#def_parent">parents</a>).
 394 </p>
 395 </dd>
 396 <dt>
 397 <a id="def_changeset"></a>changeset
 398 </dt>
 399 <dd>
 400 <p>
 401         BitKeeper/cvsps speak for "<a href="#def_commit">commit</a>". Since git does not
 402         store changes, but states, it really does not make sense to use the term
 403         "changesets" with git.
 404 </p>
 405 </dd>
 406 <dt>
 407 <a id="def_checkout"></a>checkout
 408 </dt>
 409 <dd>
 410 <p>
 411         The action of updating all or part of the
 412         <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a> with a <a href="#def_tree_object">tree object</a>
 413         or <a href="#def_blob_object">blob</a> from the
 414         <a href="#def_object_database">object database</a>, and updating the
 415         <a href="#def_index">index</a> and <a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a> if the whole working tree has
 416         been pointed at a new <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>.
 417 </p>
 418 </dd>
 419 <dt>
 420 <a id="def_cherry-picking"></a>cherry-picking
 421 </dt>
 422 <dd>
 423 <p>
 424         In <a href="#def_SCM">SCM</a> jargon, "cherry pick" means to choose a subset of
 425         changes out of a series of changes (typically commits) and record them
 426         as a new series of changes on top of a different codebase. In GIT, this is
 427         performed by the "git cherry-pick" command to extract the change introduced
 428         by an existing <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> and to record it based on the tip
 429         of the current <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> as a new commit.
 430 </p>
 431 </dd>
 432 <dt>
 433 <a id="def_clean"></a>clean
 434 </dt>
 435 <dd>
 436 <p>
 437         A <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a> is clean, if it
 438         corresponds to the <a href="#def_revision">revision</a> referenced by the current
 439         <a href="#def_head">head</a>. Also see "<a href="#def_dirty">dirty</a>".
 440 </p>
 441 </dd>
 442 <dt>
 443 <a id="def_commit"></a>commit
 444 </dt>
 445 <dd>
 446 <p>
 447         As a noun: A single point in the
 448         git history; the entire history of a project is represented as a
 449         set of interrelated commits.  The word "commit" is often
 450         used by git in the same places other revision control systems
 451         use the words "revision" or "version".  Also used as a short
 452         hand for <a href="#def_commit_object">commit object</a>.
 453 </p>
 454 <div class="para"><p>As a verb: The action of storing a new snapshot of the project's
 455 state in the git history, by creating a new commit representing the current
 456 state of the <a href="#def_index">index</a> and advancing <a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a>
 457 to point at the new commit.</p></div>
 458 </dd>
 459 <dt>
 460 <a id="def_commit_object"></a>commit object
 461 </dt>
 462 <dd>
 463 <p>
 464         An <a href="#def_object">object</a> which contains the information about a
 465         particular <a href="#def_revision">revision</a>, such as <a href="#def_parent">parents</a>, committer,
 466         author, date and the <a href="#def_tree_object">tree object</a> which corresponds
 467         to the top <a href="#def_directory">directory</a> of the stored
 468         revision.
 469 </p>
 470 </dd>
 471 <dt>
 472 <a id="def_core_git"></a>core git
 473 </dt>
 474 <dd>
 475 <p>
 476         Fundamental data structures and utilities of git. Exposes only limited
 477         source code management tools.
 478 </p>
 479 </dd>
 480 <dt>
 481 <a id="def_DAG"></a>DAG
 482 </dt>
 483 <dd>
 484 <p>
 485         Directed acyclic graph. The <a href="#def_commit_object">commit objects</a> form a
 486         directed acyclic graph, because they have parents (directed), and the
 487         graph of commit objects is acyclic (there is no <a href="#def_chain">chain</a>
 488         which begins and ends with the same <a href="#def_object">object</a>).
 489 </p>
 490 </dd>
 491 <dt>
 492 <a id="def_dangling_object"></a>dangling object
 493 </dt>
 494 <dd>
 495 <p>
 496         An <a href="#def_unreachable_object">unreachable object</a> which is not
 497         <a href="#def_reachable">reachable</a> even from other unreachable objects; a
 498         dangling object has no references to it from any
 499         reference or <a href="#def_object">object</a> in the <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>.
 500 </p>
 501 </dd>
 502 <dt>
 503 <a id="def_detached_HEAD"></a>detached HEAD
 504 </dt>
 505 <dd>
 506 <p>
 507         Normally the <a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a> stores the name of a
 508         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>.  However, git also allows you to <a href="#def_checkout">check out</a>
 509         an arbitrary <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> that isn't necessarily the tip of any
 510         particular branch.  In this case HEAD is said to be "detached".
 511 </p>
 512 </dd>
 513 <dt>
 514 <a id="def_dircache"></a>dircache
 515 </dt>
 516 <dd>
 517 <p>
 518         You are <strong>waaaaay</strong> behind. See <a href="#def_index">index</a>.
 519 </p>
 520 </dd>
 521 <dt>
 522 <a id="def_directory"></a>directory
 523 </dt>
 524 <dd>
 525 <p>
 526         The list you get with "ls" :-)
 527 </p>
 528 </dd>
 529 <dt>
 530 <a id="def_dirty"></a>dirty
 531 </dt>
 532 <dd>
 533 <p>
 534         A <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a> is said to be "dirty" if
 535         it contains modifications which have not been <a href="#def_commit">committed</a> to the current
 536         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>.
 537 </p>
 538 </dd>
 539 <dt>
 540 <a id="def_ent"></a>ent
 541 </dt>
 542 <dd>
 543 <p>
 544         Favorite synonym to "<a href="#def_tree-ish">tree-ish</a>" by some total geeks. See
 545         <tt>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ent_(Middle-earth)</tt> for an in-depth
 546         explanation. Avoid this term, not to confuse people.
 547 </p>
 548 </dd>
 549 <dt>
 550 <a id="def_evil_merge"></a>evil merge
 551 </dt>
 552 <dd>
 553 <p>
 554         An evil merge is a <a href="#def_merge">merge</a> that introduces changes that
 555         do not appear in any <a href="#def_parent">parent</a>.
 556 </p>
 557 </dd>
 558 <dt>
 559 <a id="def_fast_forward"></a>fast-forward
 560 </dt>
 561 <dd>
 562 <p>
 563         A fast-forward is a special type of <a href="#def_merge">merge</a> where you have a
 564         <a href="#def_revision">revision</a> and you are "merging" another
 565         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>'s changes that happen to be a descendant of what
 566         you have. In such these cases, you do not make a new <a href="#def_merge">merge</a>
 567         <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> but instead just update to his
 568         revision. This will happen frequently on a
 569         <a href="#def_tracking_branch">tracking branch</a> of a remote
 570         <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>.
 571 </p>
 572 </dd>
 573 <dt>
 574 <a id="def_fetch"></a>fetch
 575 </dt>
 576 <dd>
 577 <p>
 578         Fetching a <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> means to get the
 579         branch's <a href="#def_head_ref">head ref</a> from a remote
 580         <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>, to find out which objects are
 581         missing from the local <a href="#def_object_database">object database</a>,
 582         and to get them, too.  See also <a href="git-fetch.html">git-fetch(1)</a>.
 583 </p>
 584 </dd>
 585 <dt>
 586 <a id="def_file_system"></a>file system
 587 </dt>
 588 <dd>
 589 <p>
 590         Linus Torvalds originally designed git to be a user space file system,
 591         i.e. the infrastructure to hold files and directories. That ensured the
 592         efficiency and speed of git.
 593 </p>
 594 </dd>
 595 <dt>
 596 <a id="def_git_archive"></a>git archive
 597 </dt>
 598 <dd>
 599 <p>
 600         Synonym for <a href="#def_repository">repository</a> (for arch people).
 601 </p>
 602 </dd>
 603 <dt>
 604 <a id="def_grafts"></a>grafts
 605 </dt>
 606 <dd>
 607 <p>
 608         Grafts enables two otherwise different lines of development to be joined
 609         together by recording fake ancestry information for commits. This way
 610         you can make git pretend the set of <a href="#def_parent">parents</a> a <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> has
 611         is different from what was recorded when the commit was
 612         created. Configured via the <tt>.git/info/grafts</tt> file.
 613 </p>
 614 </dd>
 615 <dt>
 616 <a id="def_hash"></a>hash
 617 </dt>
 618 <dd>
 619 <p>
 620         In git's context, synonym to <a href="#def_object_name">object name</a>.
 621 </p>
 622 </dd>
 623 <dt>
 624 <a id="def_head"></a>head
 625 </dt>
 626 <dd>
 627 <p>
 628         A <a href="#def_ref">named reference</a> to the <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> at the tip of a
 629         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>.  Heads are stored in
 630         <tt>$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/</tt>, except when using packed refs. (See
 631         <a href="git-pack-refs.html">git-pack-refs(1)</a>.)
 632 </p>
 633 </dd>
 634 <dt>
 635 <a id="def_HEAD"></a>HEAD
 636 </dt>
 637 <dd>
 638 <p>
 639         The current <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>.  In more detail: Your <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a> is normally derived from the state of the tree
 640         referred to by HEAD.  HEAD is a reference to one of the
 641         <a href="#def_head">heads</a> in your repository, except when using a
 642         <a href="#def_detached_HEAD">detached HEAD</a>, in which case it may
 643         reference an arbitrary commit.
 644 </p>
 645 </dd>
 646 <dt>
 647 <a id="def_head_ref"></a>head ref
 648 </dt>
 649 <dd>
 650 <p>
 651         A synonym for <a href="#def_head">head</a>.
 652 </p>
 653 </dd>
 654 <dt>
 655 <a id="def_hook"></a>hook
 656 </dt>
 657 <dd>
 658 <p>
 659         During the normal execution of several git commands, call-outs are made
 660         to optional scripts that allow a developer to add functionality or
 661         checking. Typically, the hooks allow for a command to be pre-verified
 662         and potentially aborted, and allow for a post-notification after the
 663         operation is done. The hook scripts are found in the
 664         <tt>$GIT_DIR/hooks/</tt> directory, and are enabled by simply
 665         removing the <tt>.sample</tt> suffix from the filename. In earlier versions
 666         of git you had to make them executable.
 667 </p>
 668 </dd>
 669 <dt>
 670 <a id="def_index"></a>index
 671 </dt>
 672 <dd>
 673 <p>
 674         A collection of files with stat information, whose contents are stored
 675         as objects. The index is a stored version of your
 676         <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a>. Truth be told, it can also contain a second, and even
 677         a third version of a working tree, which are used
 678         when <a href="#def_merge">merging</a>.
 679 </p>
 680 </dd>
 681 <dt>
 682 <a id="def_index_entry"></a>index entry
 683 </dt>
 684 <dd>
 685 <p>
 686         The information regarding a particular file, stored in the
 687         <a href="#def_index">index</a>. An index entry can be unmerged, if a
 688         <a href="#def_merge">merge</a> was started, but not yet finished (i.e. if
 689         the index contains multiple versions of that file).
 690 </p>
 691 </dd>
 692 <dt>
 693 <a id="def_master"></a>master
 694 </dt>
 695 <dd>
 696 <p>
 697         The default development <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>. Whenever you
 698         create a git <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>, a branch named
 699         "master" is created, and becomes the active branch. In most
 700         cases, this contains the local development, though that is
 701         purely by convention and is not required.
 702 </p>
 703 </dd>
 704 <dt>
 705 <a id="def_merge"></a>merge
 706 </dt>
 707 <dd>
 708 <p>
 709         As a verb: To bring the contents of another
 710         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> (possibly from an external
 711         <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>) into the current branch.  In the
 712         case where the merged-in branch is from a different repository,
 713         this is done by first <a href="#def_fetch">fetching</a> the remote branch
 714         and then merging the result into the current branch.  This
 715         combination of fetch and merge operations is called a
 716         <a href="#def_pull">pull</a>.  Merging is performed by an automatic process
 717         that identifies changes made since the branches diverged, and
 718         then applies all those changes together.  In cases where changes
 719         conflict, manual intervention may be required to complete the
 720         merge.
 721 </p>
 722 <div class="para"><p>As a noun: unless it is a <a href="#def_fast_forward">fast-forward</a>, a
 723 successful merge results in the creation of a new <a href="#def_commit">commit</a>
 724 representing the result of the merge, and having as
 725 <a href="#def_parent">parents</a> the tips of the merged <a href="#def_branch">branches</a>.
 726 This commit is referred to as a "merge commit", or sometimes just a
 727 "merge".</p></div>
 728 </dd>
 729 <dt>
 730 <a id="def_object"></a>object
 731 </dt>
 732 <dd>
 733 <p>
 734         The unit of storage in git. It is uniquely identified by the
 735         <a href="#def_SHA1">SHA1</a> of its contents. Consequently, an
 736         object can not be changed.
 737 </p>
 738 </dd>
 739 <dt>
 740 <a id="def_object_database"></a>object database
 741 </dt>
 742 <dd>
 743 <p>
 744         Stores a set of "objects", and an individual <a href="#def_object">object</a> is
 745         identified by its <a href="#def_object_name">object name</a>. The objects usually
 746         live in <tt>$GIT_DIR/objects/</tt>.
 747 </p>
 748 </dd>
 749 <dt>
 750 <a id="def_object_identifier"></a>object identifier
 751 </dt>
 752 <dd>
 753 <p>
 754         Synonym for <a href="#def_object_name">object name</a>.
 755 </p>
 756 </dd>
 757 <dt>
 758 <a id="def_object_name"></a>object name
 759 </dt>
 760 <dd>
 761 <p>
 762         The unique identifier of an <a href="#def_object">object</a>. The <a href="#def_hash">hash</a>
 763         of the object's contents using the Secure Hash Algorithm
 764         1 and usually represented by the 40 character hexadecimal encoding of
 765         the <a href="#def_hash">hash</a> of the object.
 766 </p>
 767 </dd>
 768 <dt>
 769 <a id="def_object_type"></a>object type
 770 </dt>
 771 <dd>
 772 <p>
 773         One of the identifiers "<a href="#def_commit_object">commit</a>",
 774         "<a href="#def_tree_object">tree</a>", "<a href="#def_tag_object">tag</a>" or
 775         "<a href="#def_blob_object">blob</a>" describing the type of an
 776         <a href="#def_object">object</a>.
 777 </p>
 778 </dd>
 779 <dt>
 780 <a id="def_octopus"></a>octopus
 781 </dt>
 782 <dd>
 783 <p>
 784         To <a href="#def_merge">merge</a> more than two <a href="#def_branch">branches</a>. Also denotes an
 785         intelligent predator.
 786 </p>
 787 </dd>
 788 <dt>
 789 <a id="def_origin"></a>origin
 790 </dt>
 791 <dd>
 792 <p>
 793         The default upstream <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>. Most projects have
 794         at least one upstream project which they track. By default
 795         <em>origin</em> is used for that purpose. New upstream updates
 796         will be fetched into remote <a href="#def_tracking_branch">tracking branches</a> named
 797         origin/name-of-upstream-branch, which you can see using
 798         <tt>git branch -r</tt>.
 799 </p>
 800 </dd>
 801 <dt>
 802 <a id="def_pack"></a>pack
 803 </dt>
 804 <dd>
 805 <p>
 806         A set of objects which have been compressed into one file (to save space
 807         or to transmit them efficiently).
 808 </p>
 809 </dd>
 810 <dt>
 811 <a id="def_pack_index"></a>pack index
 812 </dt>
 813 <dd>
 814 <p>
 815         The list of identifiers, and other information, of the objects in a
 816         <a href="#def_pack">pack</a>, to assist in efficiently accessing the contents of a
 817         pack.
 818 </p>
 819 </dd>
 820 <dt>
 821 <a id="def_parent"></a>parent
 822 </dt>
 823 <dd>
 824 <p>
 825         A <a href="#def_commit_object">commit object</a> contains a (possibly empty) list
 826         of the logical predecessor(s) in the line of development, i.e. its
 827         parents.
 828 </p>
 829 </dd>
 830 <dt>
 831 <a id="def_pickaxe"></a>pickaxe
 832 </dt>
 833 <dd>
 834 <p>
 835         The term <a href="#def_pickaxe">pickaxe</a> refers to an option to the diffcore
 836         routines that help select changes that add or delete a given text
 837         string. With the <tt>--pickaxe-all</tt> option, it can be used to view the full
 838         <a href="#def_changeset">changeset</a> that introduced or removed, say, a
 839         particular line of text. See <a href="git-diff.html">git-diff(1)</a>.
 840 </p>
 841 </dd>
 842 <dt>
 843 <a id="def_plumbing"></a>plumbing
 844 </dt>
 845 <dd>
 846 <p>
 847         Cute name for <a href="#def_core_git">core git</a>.
 848 </p>
 849 </dd>
 850 <dt>
 851 <a id="def_porcelain"></a>porcelain
 852 </dt>
 853 <dd>
 854 <p>
 855         Cute name for programs and program suites depending on
 856         <a href="#def_core_git">core git</a>, presenting a high level access to
 857         core git. Porcelains expose more of a <a href="#def_SCM">SCM</a>
 858         interface than the <a href="#def_plumbing">plumbing</a>.
 859 </p>
 860 </dd>
 861 <dt>
 862 <a id="def_pull"></a>pull
 863 </dt>
 864 <dd>
 865 <p>
 866         Pulling a <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> means to <a href="#def_fetch">fetch</a> it and
 867         <a href="#def_merge">merge</a> it.  See also <a href="git-pull.html">git-pull(1)</a>.
 868 </p>
 869 </dd>
 870 <dt>
 871 <a id="def_push"></a>push
 872 </dt>
 873 <dd>
 874 <p>
 875         Pushing a <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> means to get the branch's
 876         <a href="#def_head_ref">head ref</a> from a remote <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>,
 877         find out if it is a direct ancestor to the branch's local
 878         head ref, and in that case, putting all
 879         objects, which are <a href="#def_reachable">reachable</a> from the local
 880         head ref, and which are missing from the remote
 881         repository, into the remote
 882         <a href="#def_object_database">object database</a>, and updating the remote
 883         head ref. If the remote <a href="#def_head">head</a> is not an
 884         ancestor to the local head, the push fails.
 885 </p>
 886 </dd>
 887 <dt>
 888 <a id="def_reachable"></a>reachable
 889 </dt>
 890 <dd>
 891 <p>
 892         All of the ancestors of a given <a href="#def_commit">commit</a> are said to be
 893         "reachable" from that commit. More
 894         generally, one <a href="#def_object">object</a> is reachable from
 895         another if we can reach the one from the other by a <a href="#def_chain">chain</a>
 896         that follows <a href="#def_tag">tags</a> to whatever they tag,
 897         <a href="#def_commit_object">commits</a> to their parents or trees, and
 898         <a href="#def_tree_object">trees</a> to the trees or <a href="#def_blob_object">blobs</a>
 899         that they contain.
 900 </p>
 901 </dd>
 902 <dt>
 903 <a id="def_rebase"></a>rebase
 904 </dt>
 905 <dd>
 906 <p>
 907         To reapply a series of changes from a <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> to a
 908         different base, and reset the <a href="#def_head">head</a> of that branch
 909         to the result.
 910 </p>
 911 </dd>
 912 <dt>
 913 <a id="def_ref"></a>ref
 914 </dt>
 915 <dd>
 916 <p>
 917         A 40-byte hex representation of a <a href="#def_SHA1">SHA1</a> or a name that
 918         denotes a particular <a href="#def_object">object</a>. These may be stored in
 919         <tt>$GIT_DIR/refs/</tt>.
 920 </p>
 921 </dd>
 922 <dt>
 923 <a id="def_reflog"></a>reflog
 924 </dt>
 925 <dd>
 926 <p>
 927         A reflog shows the local "history" of a ref.  In other words,
 928         it can tell you what the 3rd last revision in _this_ repository
 929         was, and what was the current state in _this_ repository,
 930         yesterday 9:14pm.  See <a href="git-reflog.html">git-reflog(1)</a> for details.
 931 </p>
 932 </dd>
 933 <dt>
 934 <a id="def_refspec"></a>refspec
 935 </dt>
 936 <dd>
 937 <p>
 938         A "refspec" is used by <a href="#def_fetch">fetch</a> and
 939         <a href="#def_push">push</a> to describe the mapping between remote
 940         <a href="#def_ref">ref</a> and local ref. They are combined with a colon in
 941         the format &lt;src&gt;:&lt;dst&gt;, preceded by an optional plus sign, +.
 942         For example: <tt>git fetch $URL
 943         refs/heads/master:refs/heads/origin</tt> means "grab the master
 944         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> <a href="#def_head">head</a> from the $URL and store
 945         it as my origin branch head". And <tt>git push
 946         $URL refs/heads/master:refs/heads/to-upstream</tt> means "publish my
 947         master branch head as to-upstream branch at $URL". See also
 948         <a href="git-push.html">git-push(1)</a>.
 949 </p>
 950 </dd>
 951 <dt>
 952 <a id="def_repository"></a>repository
 953 </dt>
 954 <dd>
 955 <p>
 956         A collection of <a href="#def_ref">refs</a> together with an
 957         <a href="#def_object_database">object database</a> containing all objects
 958         which are <a href="#def_reachable">reachable</a> from the refs, possibly
 959         accompanied by meta data from one or more <a href="#def_porcelain">porcelains</a>. A
 960         repository can share an object database with other repositories
 961         via <a href="#def_alternate_object_database">alternates mechanism</a>.
 962 </p>
 963 </dd>
 964 <dt>
 965 <a id="def_resolve"></a>resolve
 966 </dt>
 967 <dd>
 968 <p>
 969         The action of fixing up manually what a failed automatic
 970         <a href="#def_merge">merge</a> left behind.
 971 </p>
 972 </dd>
 973 <dt>
 974 <a id="def_revision"></a>revision
 975 </dt>
 976 <dd>
 977 <p>
 978         A particular state of files and directories which was stored in the
 979         <a href="#def_object_database">object database</a>. It is referenced by a
 980         <a href="#def_commit_object">commit object</a>.
 981 </p>
 982 </dd>
 983 <dt>
 984 <a id="def_rewind"></a>rewind
 985 </dt>
 986 <dd>
 987 <p>
 988         To throw away part of the development, i.e. to assign the
 989         <a href="#def_head">head</a> to an earlier <a href="#def_revision">revision</a>.
 990 </p>
 991 </dd>
 992 <dt>
 993 <a id="def_SCM"></a>SCM
 994 </dt>
 995 <dd>
 996 <p>
 997         Source code management (tool).
 998 </p>
 999 </dd>
1000 <dt>
1001 <a id="def_SHA1"></a>SHA1
1002 </dt>
1003 <dd>
1004 <p>
1005         Synonym for <a href="#def_object_name">object name</a>.
1006 </p>
1007 </dd>
1008 <dt>
1009 <a id="def_shallow_repository"></a>shallow repository
1010 </dt>
1011 <dd>
1012 <p>
1013         A shallow <a href="#def_repository">repository</a> has an incomplete
1014         history some of whose <a href="#def_commit">commits</a> have <a href="#def_parent">parents</a> cauterized away (in other
1015         words, git is told to pretend that these commits do not have the
1016         parents, even though they are recorded in the <a href="#def_commit_object">commit         object</a>). This is sometimes useful when you are interested only in the
1017         recent history of a project even though the real history recorded in the
1018         upstream is much larger. A shallow repository
1019         is created by giving the <tt>--depth</tt> option to <a href="git-clone.html">git-clone(1)</a>, and
1020         its history can be later deepened with <a href="git-fetch.html">git-fetch(1)</a>.
1021 </p>
1022 </dd>
1023 <dt>
1024 <a id="def_symref"></a>symref
1025 </dt>
1026 <dd>
1027 <p>
1028         Symbolic reference: instead of containing the <a href="#def_SHA1">SHA1</a>
1029         id itself, it is of the format <em>ref: refs/some/thing</em> and when
1030         referenced, it recursively dereferences to this reference.
1031         <em><a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a></em> is a prime example of a symref. Symbolic
1032         references are manipulated with the <a href="git-symbolic-ref.html">git-symbolic-ref(1)</a>
1033         command.
1034 </p>
1035 </dd>
1036 <dt>
1037 <a id="def_tag"></a>tag
1038 </dt>
1039 <dd>
1040 <p>
1041         A <a href="#def_ref">ref</a> pointing to a <a href="#def_tag_object">tag</a> or
1042         <a href="#def_commit_object">commit object</a>. In contrast to a <a href="#def_head">head</a>,
1043         a tag is not changed by a <a href="#def_commit">commit</a>. Tags (not
1044         <a href="#def_tag_object">tag objects</a>) are stored in <tt>$GIT_DIR/refs/tags/</tt>. A
1045         git tag has nothing to do with a Lisp tag (which would be
1046         called an <a href="#def_object_type">object type</a> in git's context). A
1047         tag is most typically used to mark a particular point in the
1048         commit ancestry <a href="#def_chain">chain</a>.
1049 </p>
1050 </dd>
1051 <dt>
1052 <a id="def_tag_object"></a>tag object
1053 </dt>
1054 <dd>
1055 <p>
1056         An <a href="#def_object">object</a> containing a <a href="#def_ref">ref</a> pointing to
1057         another object, which can contain a message just like a
1058         <a href="#def_commit_object">commit object</a>. It can also contain a (PGP)
1059         signature, in which case it is called a "signed tag object".
1060 </p>
1061 </dd>
1062 <dt>
1063 <a id="def_topic_branch"></a>topic branch
1064 </dt>
1065 <dd>
1066 <p>
1067         A regular git <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> that is used by a developer to
1068         identify a conceptual line of development. Since branches are very easy
1069         and inexpensive, it is often desirable to have several small branches
1070         that each contain very well defined concepts or small incremental yet
1071         related changes.
1072 </p>
1073 </dd>
1074 <dt>
1075 <a id="def_tracking_branch"></a>tracking branch
1076 </dt>
1077 <dd>
1078 <p>
1079         A regular git <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> that is used to follow changes from
1080         another <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>. A tracking
1081         branch should not contain direct modifications or have local commits
1082         made to it. A tracking branch can usually be
1083         identified as the right-hand-side <a href="#def_ref">ref</a> in a Pull:
1084         <a href="#def_refspec">refspec</a>.
1085 </p>
1086 </dd>
1087 <dt>
1088 <a id="def_tree"></a>tree
1089 </dt>
1090 <dd>
1091 <p>
1092         Either a <a href="#def_working_tree">working tree</a>, or a <a href="#def_tree_object">tree         object</a> together with the dependent <a href="#def_blob_object">blob</a> and tree objects
1093         (i.e. a stored representation of a working tree).
1094 </p>
1095 </dd>
1096 <dt>
1097 <a id="def_tree_object"></a>tree object
1098 </dt>
1099 <dd>
1100 <p>
1101         An <a href="#def_object">object</a> containing a list of file names and modes along
1102         with refs to the associated blob and/or tree objects. A
1103         <a href="#def_tree">tree</a> is equivalent to a <a href="#def_directory">directory</a>.
1104 </p>
1105 </dd>
1106 <dt>
1107 <a id="def_tree-ish"></a>tree-ish
1108 </dt>
1109 <dd>
1110 <p>
1111         A <a href="#def_ref">ref</a> pointing to either a <a href="#def_commit_object">commit         object</a>, a <a href="#def_tree_object">tree object</a>, or a <a href="#def_tag_object">tag         object</a> pointing to a tag or commit or tree object.
1112 </p>
1113 </dd>
1114 <dt>
1115 <a id="def_unmerged_index"></a>unmerged index
1116 </dt>
1117 <dd>
1118 <p>
1119         An <a href="#def_index">index</a> which contains unmerged
1120         <a href="#def_index_entry">index entries</a>.
1121 </p>
1122 </dd>
1123 <dt>
1124 <a id="def_unreachable_object"></a>unreachable object
1125 </dt>
1126 <dd>
1127 <p>
1128         An <a href="#def_object">object</a> which is not <a href="#def_reachable">reachable</a> from a
1129         <a href="#def_branch">branch</a>, <a href="#def_tag">tag</a>, or any other reference.
1130 </p>
1131 </dd>
1132 <dt>
1133 <a id="def_upstream_branch"></a>upstream branch
1134 </dt>
1135 <dd>
1136 <p>
1137         The default <a href="#def_branch">branch</a> that is merged into the branch in
1138         question (or the branch in question is rebased onto). It is configured
1139         via branch.&lt;name&gt;.remote and branch.&lt;name&gt;.merge. If the upstream branch
1140         of <em>A</em> is <em>origin/B</em> sometimes we say "<em>A</em> is tracking <em>origin/B</em>".
1141 </p>
1142 </dd>
1143 <dt>
1144 <a id="def_working_tree"></a>working tree
1145 </dt>
1146 <dd>
1147 <p>
1148         The tree of actual checked out files.  The working tree normally
1149         contains the contents of the <a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a> commit's tree,
1150         plus any local changes that you have made but not yet committed.
1151 </p>
1152 </dd>
1153 </dl></div>
1154 </div>
1155 <h2 id="_see_also">SEE ALSO</h2>
1156 <div class="sectionbody">
1157 <div class="para"><p><a href="gittutorial.html">gittutorial(7)</a>,
1158 <a href="gittutorial-2.html">gittutorial-2(7)</a>,
1159 <a href="gitcvs-migration.html">gitcvs-migration(7)</a>,
1160 <a href="everyday.html">Everyday git</a>,
1161 <a href="user-manual.html">The Git User's Manual</a></p></div>
1162 </div>
1163 <h2 id="_git">GIT</h2>
1164 <div class="sectionbody">
1165 <div class="para"><p>Part of the <a href="git.html">git(1)</a> suite.</p></div>
1166 </div>
1167 <div id="footer">
1168 <div id="footer-text">
1169 Last updated 2010-04-24 02:56:15 UTC
1170 </div>
1171 </div>
1172 </body>
1173 </html>