From: "Julia Evans via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail•com>
To: git@vger•kernel.org
Cc: Julia Evans <julia@jvns•ca>, Julia Evans <julia@jvns•ca>
Subject: [PATCH 5/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify restoring files section
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:08:53 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <b641874627b3898831c3965616e936bd4ee310df.1756148933.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <pull.1962.git.1756148933.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
From: Julia Evans <julia@jvns•ca>
- Use the term "Restore" to mirror `git restore`
- Many Git users do not know what a "tree-ish" is. Clarify by using an
example of each case, and by saying "commit or tree" in the text
instead of "<tree-ish>"
- Many Git users do not know what the "index" is. Instead say "stage the
file's contents" where appropriate, since Git often uses "stage" as a
verb to mean the same thing as "add to the index" and it's a more
familiar term.
Signed-off-by: Julia Evans <julia@jvns•ca>
---
Documentation/git-checkout.adoc | 21 +++++++++++----------
1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc b/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc
index b343d292b30b..9f2b86ac5368 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc
@@ -82,20 +82,21 @@ Omitting _<branch>_ detaches `HEAD` at the tip of the current branch.
`git checkout [-f|--ours|--theirs|-m|--conflict=<style>] [<tree-ish>] [--] <pathspec>...`::
`git checkout [-f|--ours|--theirs|-m|--conflict=<style>] [<tree-ish>] --pathspec-from-file=<file> [--pathspec-file-nul]`::
- Overwrite the contents of the files that match the pathspec.
- When the _<tree-ish>_ (most often a commit) is not given,
- overwrite working tree with the contents in the index.
- When the _<tree-ish>_ is given, overwrite both the index and
- the working tree with the contents at the _<tree-ish>_.
+ Restore another version of the file(s) that match the pathspec.
+
-The index may contain unmerged entries because of a previous failed merge.
-By default, if you try to check out such an entry from the index, the
-checkout operation will fail and nothing will be checked out.
-Using `-f` will ignore these unmerged entries. The contents from a
+If you specify a commit or tree to restore from (for example `git
+checkout main file.txt`), this will restore the version of the file(s)
+from that commit or tree. This overwrites the file in the working
+directory and stages the file's contents.
++
+If you do not specify where to restore from (for example `git checkout
+file.txt`), this will replace the file(s) with the version from the index.
+If you check out a file with an unresolved merge
+conflict, the checkout operation will fail and no changes will be made.
+Using `-f` will ignore the merge conflict. The contents from a
specific side of the merge can be checked out of the index by
using `--ours` or `--theirs`. With `-m`, changes made to the working tree
file can be discarded to re-create the original conflicted merge result.
-
`git checkout (-p|--patch) [<tree-ish>] [--] [<pathspec>...]`::
This is similar to the previous mode, but lets you use the
interactive interface to show the "diff" output and choose which
--
gitgitgadget
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2025-08-25 19:09 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 68+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2025-08-25 19:08 [PATCH 0/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify DESCRIPTION section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-25 19:08 ` [PATCH 1/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify intro Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-26 18:46 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-26 18:51 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-26 20:56 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-28 14:00 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-08-28 22:34 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-28 23:44 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-29 13:39 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-08-29 21:00 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-03 23:48 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-08-25 19:08 ` [PATCH 2/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify `git checkout <branch>` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-26 21:38 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-28 12:11 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-28 15:45 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-28 18:24 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-25 19:08 ` [PATCH 3/5] doc: git-checkout: don't use "reset" Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-25 19:08 ` [PATCH 4/5] doc: git-checkout: deduplicate --detach explanation Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-25 19:08 ` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget [this message]
2025-08-26 22:43 ` [PATCH 5/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify restoring files section Junio C Hamano
2025-08-28 13:26 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-28 19:08 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-08-28 19:59 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-28 20:38 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-29 13:48 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-08-29 11:45 ` [PATCH v2 0/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify DESCRIPTION section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-29 11:45 ` [PATCH v2 1/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify intro Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-29 15:58 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-02 17:14 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-29 11:45 ` [PATCH v2 2/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify `git checkout <branch>` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-29 16:03 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-02 17:16 ` Julia Evans
2025-08-29 11:45 ` [PATCH v2 3/5] doc: git-checkout: don't use "reset" Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-29 16:22 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-01 14:28 ` Julia Evans
2025-09-02 16:10 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-08-29 11:45 ` [PATCH v2 4/5] doc: git-checkout: deduplicate --detach explanation Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-08-29 11:45 ` [PATCH v2 5/5] doc: git-checkout: clarify restoring files section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:49 ` [PATCH v3 0/6] doc: git-checkout: clarify DESCRIPTION section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:49 ` [PATCH v3 1/6] doc: git-checkout: clarify intro Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:49 ` [PATCH v3 2/6] doc: git-checkout: clarify `git checkout <branch>` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:49 ` [PATCH v3 3/6] doc: git-checkout: clarify `-b` and `-B` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:50 ` [PATCH v3 4/6] doc: git-checkout: deduplicate --detach explanation Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:50 ` [PATCH v3 5/6] doc: git-checkout: split up restoring files section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 16:50 ` [PATCH v3 6/6] doc: git-checkout: clarify " Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-03 21:29 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-03 21:09 ` [PATCH v3 0/6] doc: git-checkout: clarify DESCRIPTION section Junio C Hamano
2025-09-03 21:28 ` Julia Evans
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 0/7] " Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 1/7] doc: git-checkout: clarify intro sentence Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 2/7] doc: git-checkout: clarify ARGUMENT DISAMBIGUATION Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 3/7] doc: git-checkout: clarify `git checkout <branch>` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 4/7] doc: git-checkout: clarify `-b` and `-B` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-29 18:07 ` Kristoffer Haugsbakk
2025-10-02 18:37 ` [PATCH] doc: git-checkout: fix placeholder markup kristofferhaugsbakk
2025-10-16 22:11 ` [PATCH resend] " kristofferhaugsbakk
2025-10-17 13:56 ` Julia Evans
2025-10-17 15:50 ` [PATCH v2] " kristofferhaugsbakk
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 5/7] doc: git-checkout: deduplicate --detach explanation Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 6/7] doc: git-checkout: split up restoring files section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-10 19:14 ` [PATCH v4 7/7] doc: git-checkout: clarify " Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-09-11 13:01 ` [PATCH v4 0/7] doc: git-checkout: clarify DESCRIPTION section Ben Knoble
2025-09-12 14:05 ` Julia Evans
2025-09-12 14:26 ` Kristoffer Haugsbakk
2025-09-15 23:22 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-16 6:41 ` Kristoffer Haugsbakk
2025-09-12 16:23 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-09-17 18:38 ` Junio C Hamano
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