Subject: [PATCH] Mention that git-branch -M can cause problems for tracking branches

From: Jonas Fonseca <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 10:17:34 +0100

Signed-off-by: Jonas Fonseca <[email-masked]>
---
 Documentation/git-branch.txt |    5 +++++
 1 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

 I made a patch to discard the overwritten branch's configuration
 section, which Spearce felt was too lossy a behaviour. However, since
 it confused me, I think it should at least be mentioned in the manpage.
 Maybe the warning message from git should also be added to improve its
 "googlability".

diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.txt b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
index 5e81aa4..def4e85 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-branch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-branch.txt
@@ -165,6 +165,11 @@ If you are creating a branch that you want to immediately checkout, it's
 easier to use the git checkout command with its `-b` option to create
 a branch and check it out with a single command.
 
+When a branch is renamed so that it overwrites an existing branch unintended
+problems can arise. This is because git refuses to discard the configuration
+section of the overwritten branch. As a result git can become confused if, for
+example, the branches involved were used for tracking two different remote
+branches. The only way to fix this is to edit the configuration file manually.
 
 Author
 ------
-- 
1.5.3.4.1481.g854da-dirty

-- 
Jonas Fonseca