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git-worktree.txt: discuss branch-based vs. throwaway worktrees

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By default, `git worktree add` creates a new worktree associated with a
particular branch (which may have been created automatically if not
specified explicitly on the command-line). It is also convenient to
create throwaway worktrees not associated with any branch, which can be
handy when making experimental changes or doing testing. However, the
latter use-case may not be obvious to newcomers since the high-level
description of worktrees talks only about checking out "more than one
branch at a time". Therefore, enhance the description to to discuss both
use-cases.

A secondary goal of highlighting the distinction between branch-based
and throwaway worktrees is to help newcomers understand that the
simplest form `git worktree add <path>` automatically creates a new
branch. Stating this early in the description, may help newcomers avoid
creating branches without realizing they are doing so, and later
wondering why `git branch --list` shows branches the user did not
intentionally create.

Signed-off-by: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
This commit is contained in:
Eric Sunshine 2020-09-06 20:02:22 -04:00 committed by Junio C Hamano
parent c670aa47df
commit dccadad736
1 changed files with 12 additions and 0 deletions
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Documentation/git-worktree.txt
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@ -31,6 +31,18 @@ A repository has one main working tree (if it's not a
bare repository) and zero or more linked working trees. When you are done
with a linked working tree, remove it with `git worktree remove`.
In its simplest form, `git worktree add <path>` automatically creates a
new branch whose name is the final component of `<path>`, which is
convenient if you plan to work on a new topic. For instance, `git
worktree add ../hotfix` creates new branch `hotfix` and checks it out at
path `../hotfix`. To instead work on an existing branch in a new working
tree, use `git worktree add <path> <branch>`. On the other hand, if you
just plan to make some experimental changes or do testing without
disturbing existing development, it is often convenient to create a
'throwaway' working tree not associated with any branch. For instance,
`git worktree add -d <path>` creates a new working tree with a detached
`HEAD` at the same commit as the current branch.
If a working tree is deleted without using `git worktree remove`, then
its associated administrative files, which reside in the repository
(see "DETAILS" below), will eventually be removed automatically (see