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Documentation: move linked worktree description from checkout to work…
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Now that the git-worktree command exists, its documentation page is the
natural place for the linked worktree description to reside. Relocate
the "MULTIPLE WORKING TREES" description verbatim from git-checkout.txt
to git-worktree.txt.

Signed-off-by: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
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Eric Sunshine authored and Junio C Hamano committed Jul 6, 2015
1 parent 4f09825 commit 93a3649
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69 changes: 2 additions & 67 deletions Documentation/git-checkout.txt
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -229,8 +229,8 @@ section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to operate the `--patch` mode.
Check out a branch in a separate working directory at
`<path>`. A new working directory is linked to the current
repository, sharing everything except working directory
specific files such as HEAD, index... See "MULTIPLE WORKING
TREES" section for more information.
specific files such as HEAD, index, etc. See
linkgit:git-worktree[1] for a description of linked worktrees.

--ignore-other-worktrees::
`git checkout` refuses when the wanted ref is already checked
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -401,71 +401,6 @@ $ git reflog -2 HEAD # or
$ git log -g -2 HEAD
------------

MULTIPLE WORKING TREES
----------------------

A git repository can support multiple working trees, allowing you to check
out more than one branch at a time. With `git checkout --to` a new working
tree is associated with the repository. This new working tree is called a
"linked working tree" as opposed to the "main working tree" prepared by "git
init" or "git clone". A repository has one main working tree (if it's not a
bare repository) and zero or more linked working trees.

Each linked working tree has a private sub-directory in the repository's
$GIT_DIR/worktrees directory. The private sub-directory's name is usually
the base name of the linked working tree's path, possibly appended with a
number to make it unique. For example, when `$GIT_DIR=/path/main/.git` the
command `git checkout --to /path/other/test-next next` creates the linked
working tree in `/path/other/test-next` and also creates a
`$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next` directory (or `$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next1`
if `test-next` is already taken).

Within a linked working tree, $GIT_DIR is set to point to this private
directory (e.g. `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` in the example) and
$GIT_COMMON_DIR is set to point back to the main working tree's $GIT_DIR
(e.g. `/path/main/.git`). These settings are made in a `.git` file located at
the top directory of the linked working tree.

Path resolution via `git rev-parse --git-path` uses either
$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR depending on the path. For example, in the
linked working tree `git rev-parse --git-path HEAD` returns
`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/HEAD` (not
`/path/other/test-next/.git/HEAD` or `/path/main/.git/HEAD`) while `git
rev-parse --git-path refs/heads/master` uses
$GIT_COMMON_DIR and returns `/path/main/.git/refs/heads/master`,
since refs are shared across all working trees.

See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for more information. The rule of
thumb is do not make any assumption about whether a path belongs to
$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR when you need to directly access something
inside $GIT_DIR. Use `git rev-parse --git-path` to get the final path.

When you are done with a linked working tree you can simply delete it.
The working tree's entry in the repository's $GIT_DIR/worktrees
directory will eventually be removed automatically (see
`gc.pruneworktreesexpire` in linkgit::git-config[1]), or you can run
`git worktree prune` in the main or any linked working tree to
clean up any stale entries in $GIT_DIR/worktrees.

If you move a linked working directory to another file system, or
within a file system that does not support hard links, you need to run
at least one git command inside the linked working directory
(e.g. `git status`) in order to update its entry in $GIT_DIR/worktrees
so that it does not get automatically removed.

To prevent a $GIT_DIR/worktrees entry from from being pruned (which
can be useful in some situations, such as when the
entry's working tree is stored on a portable device), add a file named
'locked' to the entry's directory. The file contains the reason in
plain text. For example, if a linked working tree's `.git` file points
to `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` then a file named
`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/locked` will prevent the
`test-next` entry from being pruned. See
linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for details.

Multiple checkout support for submodules is incomplete. It is NOT
recommended to make multiple checkouts of a superproject.

EXAMPLES
--------

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62 changes: 62 additions & 0 deletions Documentation/git-worktree.txt
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -17,6 +17,68 @@ DESCRIPTION
Manage multiple worktrees attached to the same repository. These are
created by the command `git checkout --to`.

A git repository can support multiple working trees, allowing you to check
out more than one branch at a time. With `git checkout --to` a new working
tree is associated with the repository. This new working tree is called a
"linked working tree" as opposed to the "main working tree" prepared by "git
init" or "git clone". A repository has one main working tree (if it's not a
bare repository) and zero or more linked working trees.

Each linked working tree has a private sub-directory in the repository's
$GIT_DIR/worktrees directory. The private sub-directory's name is usually
the base name of the linked working tree's path, possibly appended with a
number to make it unique. For example, when `$GIT_DIR=/path/main/.git` the
command `git checkout --to /path/other/test-next next` creates the linked
working tree in `/path/other/test-next` and also creates a
`$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next` directory (or `$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next1`
if `test-next` is already taken).

Within a linked working tree, $GIT_DIR is set to point to this private
directory (e.g. `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` in the example) and
$GIT_COMMON_DIR is set to point back to the main working tree's $GIT_DIR
(e.g. `/path/main/.git`). These settings are made in a `.git` file located at
the top directory of the linked working tree.

Path resolution via `git rev-parse --git-path` uses either
$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR depending on the path. For example, in the
linked working tree `git rev-parse --git-path HEAD` returns
`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/HEAD` (not
`/path/other/test-next/.git/HEAD` or `/path/main/.git/HEAD`) while `git
rev-parse --git-path refs/heads/master` uses
$GIT_COMMON_DIR and returns `/path/main/.git/refs/heads/master`,
since refs are shared across all working trees.

See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for more information. The rule of
thumb is do not make any assumption about whether a path belongs to
$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR when you need to directly access something
inside $GIT_DIR. Use `git rev-parse --git-path` to get the final path.

When you are done with a linked working tree you can simply delete it.
The working tree's entry in the repository's $GIT_DIR/worktrees
directory will eventually be removed automatically (see
`gc.pruneworktreesexpire` in linkgit::git-config[1]), or you can run
`git worktree prune` in the main or any linked working tree to
clean up any stale entries in $GIT_DIR/worktrees.

If you move a linked working directory to another file system, or
within a file system that does not support hard links, you need to run
at least one git command inside the linked working directory
(e.g. `git status`) in order to update its entry in $GIT_DIR/worktrees
so that it does not get automatically removed.

To prevent a $GIT_DIR/worktrees entry from from being pruned (which
can be useful in some situations, such as when the
entry's working tree is stored on a portable device), add a file named
'locked' to the entry's directory. The file contains the reason in
plain text. For example, if a linked working tree's `.git` file points
to `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` then a file named
`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/locked` will prevent the
`test-next` entry from being pruned. See
linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for details.

Multiple checkout support for submodules is incomplete. It is NOT
recommended to make multiple checkouts of a superproject.

COMMANDS
--------
prune::
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