Documentation/git-describe.txt - git - Git at Google


            
            git-describe(1)

            
            ===============


            NAME

            
            ----

            
            git-describe - Show the most recent tag that is reachable from a commit


            SYNOPSIS

            
            --------

            
            'git describe' [--all] [--tags] [--contains] [--abbrev=<n>] <committish>...


            DESCRIPTION

            
            -----------

            
            The command finds the most recent tag that is reachable from a

            
            commit.  If the tag points to the commit, then only the tag is

            
            shown.  Otherwise, it suffixes the tag name with the number of

            
            additional commits on top of the tagged object and the

            
            abbreviated object name of the most recent commit.


            By default (without --all or --tags) `git describe` only shows

            
            annotated tags.  For more information about creating annotated tags

            
            see the -a and -s options to linkgit:git-tag[1].


            OPTIONS

            
            -------

            
            <committish>...::

            
            	Committish object names to describe.


            --all::

            
            	Instead of using only the annotated tags, use any ref

            
            	found in `.git/refs/`.  This option enables matching

            
            	any known branch, remote branch, or lightweight tag.


            --tags::

            
            	Instead of using only the annotated tags, use any tag

            
            	found in `.git/refs/tags`.  This option enables matching

            
            	a lightweight (non-annotated) tag.


            --contains::

            
            	Instead of finding the tag that predates the commit, find

            
            	the tag that comes after the commit, and thus contains it.

            
            	Automatically implies --tags.


            --abbrev=<n>::

            
            	Instead of using the default 7 hexadecimal digits as the

            
            	abbreviated object name, use <n> digits.


            --candidates=<n>::

            
            	Instead of considering only the 10 most recent tags as

            
            	candidates to describe the input committish consider

            
            	up to <n> candidates.  Increasing <n> above 10 will take

            
            	slightly longer but may produce a more accurate result.

            
            	An <n> of 0 will cause only exact matches to be output.


            --exact-match::

            
            	Only output exact matches (a tag directly references the

            
            	supplied commit).  This is a synonym for --candidates=0.


            --debug::

            
            	Verbosely display information about the searching strategy

            
            	being employed to standard error.  The tag name will still

            
            	be printed to standard out.


            --long::

            
            	Always output the long format (the tag, the number of commits

            
            	and the abbreviated commit name) even when it matches a tag.

            
            	This is useful when you want to see parts of the commit object name

            
            	in "describe" output, even when the commit in question happens to be

            
            	a tagged version.  Instead of just emitting the tag name, it will

            
            	describe such a commit as v1.2-0-deadbeef (0th commit since tag v1.2

            
            	that points at object deadbeef....).


            --match <pattern>::

            
            	Only consider tags matching the given pattern (can be used to avoid

            
            	leaking private tags made from the repository).


            --always::

            
            	Show uniquely abbreviated commit object as fallback.


            EXAMPLES

            
            --------


            With something like git.git current tree, I get:


            	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe parent

            
            	v1.0.4-14-g2414721


            i.e. the current head of my "parent" branch is based on v1.0.4,

            
            but since it has a few commits on top of that,

            
            describe has added the number of additional commits ("14") and

            
            an abbreviated object name for the commit itself ("2414721")

            
            at the end.


            The number of additional commits is the number

            
            of commits which would be displayed by "git log v1.0.4..parent".

            
            The hash suffix is "-g" + 7-char abbreviation for the tip commit

            
            of parent (which was `2414721b194453f058079d897d13c4e377f92dc6`).


            Doing a 'git-describe' on a tag-name will just show the tag name:


            	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe v1.0.4

            
            	v1.0.4


            With --all, the command can use branch heads as references, so

            
            the output shows the reference path as well:


            	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe --all --abbrev=4 v1.0.5^2

            
            	tags/v1.0.0-21-g975b


            	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe --all HEAD^

            
            	heads/lt/describe-7-g975b


            With --abbrev set to 0, the command can be used to find the

            
            closest tagname without any suffix:


            	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe --abbrev=0 v1.0.5^2

            
            	tags/v1.0.0


            SEARCH STRATEGY

            
            ---------------


            For each committish supplied, 'git-describe' will first look for

            
            a tag which tags exactly that commit.  Annotated tags will always

            
            be preferred over lightweight tags, and tags with newer dates will

            
            always be preferred over tags with older dates.  If an exact match

            
            is found, its name will be output and searching will stop.


            If an exact match was not found, 'git-describe' will walk back

            
            through the commit history to locate an ancestor commit which

            
            has been tagged.  The ancestor's tag will be output along with an

            
            abbreviation of the input committish's SHA1.


            If multiple tags were found during the walk then the tag which

            
            has the fewest commits different from the input committish will be

            
            selected and output.  Here fewest commits different is defined as

            
            the number of commits which would be shown by `git log tag..input`

            
            will be the smallest number of commits possible.


            Author

            
            ------

            
            Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>, but somewhat

            
            butchered by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>.  Later significantly

            
            updated by Shawn Pearce <spearce@spearce.org>.


            Documentation

            
            --------------

            
            Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.


            GIT

            
            ---

            
            Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite
	git-describe(1)
	===============

	NAME
	----
	git-describe - Show the most recent tag that is reachable from a commit


	SYNOPSIS
	--------
	'git describe' [--all] [--tags] [--contains] [--abbrev=<n>] <committish>...

	DESCRIPTION
	-----------
	The command finds the most recent tag that is reachable from a
	commit. If the tag points to the commit, then only the tag is
	shown. Otherwise, it suffixes the tag name with the number of
	additional commits on top of the tagged object and the
	abbreviated object name of the most recent commit.

	By default (without --all or --tags) `git describe` only shows
	annotated tags. For more information about creating annotated tags
	see the -a and -s options to linkgit:git-tag[1].

	OPTIONS
	-------
	<committish>...::
	Committish object names to describe.

	--all::
	Instead of using only the annotated tags, use any ref
	found in `.git/refs/`. This option enables matching
	any known branch, remote branch, or lightweight tag.

	--tags::
	Instead of using only the annotated tags, use any tag
	found in `.git/refs/tags`. This option enables matching
	a lightweight (non-annotated) tag.

	--contains::
	Instead of finding the tag that predates the commit, find
	the tag that comes after the commit, and thus contains it.
	Automatically implies --tags.

	--abbrev=<n>::
	Instead of using the default 7 hexadecimal digits as the
	abbreviated object name, use <n> digits.

	--candidates=<n>::
	Instead of considering only the 10 most recent tags as
	candidates to describe the input committish consider
	up to <n> candidates. Increasing <n> above 10 will take
	slightly longer but may produce a more accurate result.
	An <n> of 0 will cause only exact matches to be output.

	--exact-match::
	Only output exact matches (a tag directly references the
	supplied commit). This is a synonym for --candidates=0.

	--debug::
	Verbosely display information about the searching strategy
	being employed to standard error. The tag name will still
	be printed to standard out.

	--long::
	Always output the long format (the tag, the number of commits
	and the abbreviated commit name) even when it matches a tag.
	This is useful when you want to see parts of the commit object name
	in "describe" output, even when the commit in question happens to be
	a tagged version. Instead of just emitting the tag name, it will
	describe such a commit as v1.2-0-deadbeef (0th commit since tag v1.2
	that points at object deadbeef....).

	--match <pattern>::
	Only consider tags matching the given pattern (can be used to avoid
	leaking private tags made from the repository).

	--always::
	Show uniquely abbreviated commit object as fallback.

	EXAMPLES
	--------

	With something like git.git current tree, I get:

	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe parent
	v1.0.4-14-g2414721

	i.e. the current head of my "parent" branch is based on v1.0.4,
	but since it has a few commits on top of that,
	describe has added the number of additional commits ("14") and
	an abbreviated object name for the commit itself ("2414721")
	at the end.

	The number of additional commits is the number
	of commits which would be displayed by "git log v1.0.4..parent".
	The hash suffix is "-g" + 7-char abbreviation for the tip commit
	of parent (which was `2414721b194453f058079d897d13c4e377f92dc6`).

	Doing a 'git-describe' on a tag-name will just show the tag name:

	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe v1.0.4
	v1.0.4

	With --all, the command can use branch heads as references, so
	the output shows the reference path as well:

	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe --all --abbrev=4 v1.0.5^2
	tags/v1.0.0-21-g975b

	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe --all HEAD^
	heads/lt/describe-7-g975b

	With --abbrev set to 0, the command can be used to find the
	closest tagname without any suffix:

	[torvalds@g5 git]$ git describe --abbrev=0 v1.0.5^2
	tags/v1.0.0

	SEARCH STRATEGY
	---------------

	For each committish supplied, 'git-describe' will first look for
	a tag which tags exactly that commit. Annotated tags will always
	be preferred over lightweight tags, and tags with newer dates will
	always be preferred over tags with older dates. If an exact match
	is found, its name will be output and searching will stop.

	If an exact match was not found, 'git-describe' will walk back
	through the commit history to locate an ancestor commit which
	has been tagged. The ancestor's tag will be output along with an
	abbreviation of the input committish's SHA1.

	If multiple tags were found during the walk then the tag which
	has the fewest commits different from the input committish will be
	selected and output. Here fewest commits different is defined as
	the number of commits which would be shown by `git log tag..input`
	will be the smallest number of commits possible.


	Author
	------
	Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>, but somewhat
	butchered by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>. Later significantly
	updated by Shawn Pearce <spearce@spearce.org>.

	Documentation
	--------------
	Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.

	GIT
	---
	Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite