6 git-format-patch - Prepare patches for e-mail submission
12 'git format-patch' [-k] [-o <dir> | --stdout] [--thread]
13 [--attach[=<boundary>] | --inline[=<boundary>] |
15 [-s | --signoff] [<common diff options>]
16 [-n | --numbered | -N | --no-numbered]
17 [--start-number <n>] [--numbered-files]
18 [--in-reply-to=Message-Id] [--suffix=.<sfx>]
19 [--ignore-if-in-upstream]
20 [--subject-prefix=Subject-Prefix]
23 [ <since> | <revision range> ]
28 Prepare each commit with its patch in
29 one file per commit, formatted to resemble UNIX mailbox format.
30 The output of this command is convenient for e-mail submission or
31 for use with 'git-am'.
33 There are two ways to specify which commits to operate on.
35 1. A single commit, <since>, specifies that the commits leading
36 to the tip of the current branch that are not in the history
37 that leads to the <since> to be output.
39 2. Generic <revision range> expression (see "SPECIFYING
40 REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]) means the
41 commits in the specified range.
43 The first rule takes precedence in the case of a single <commit>. To
44 apply the second rule, i.e., format everything since the beginning of
45 history up until <commit>, use the '\--root' option: "git format-patch
46 \--root <commit>". If you want to format only <commit> itself, you
47 can do this with "git format-patch -1 <commit>".
49 By default, each output file is numbered sequentially from 1, and uses the
50 first line of the commit message (massaged for pathname safety) as
51 the filename. With the --numbered-files option, the output file names
52 will only be numbers, without the first line of the commit appended.
53 The names of the output files are printed to standard
54 output, unless the --stdout option is specified.
56 If -o is specified, output files are created in <dir>. Otherwise
57 they are created in the current working directory.
59 By default, the subject of a single patch is "[PATCH] First Line" and
60 the subject when multiple patches are output is "[PATCH n/m] First
61 Line". To force 1/1 to be added for a single patch, use -n. To omit
62 patch numbers from the subject, use -N
64 If given --thread, 'git-format-patch' will generate In-Reply-To and
65 References headers to make the second and subsequent patch mails appear
66 as replies to the first mail; this also generates a Message-Id header to
72 include::diff-options.txt[]
75 Limits the number of patches to prepare.
78 --output-directory <dir>::
79 Use <dir> to store the resulting files, instead of the
80 current working directory.
84 Name output in '[PATCH n/m]' format, even with a single patch.
88 Name output in '[PATCH]' format.
91 Start numbering the patches at <n> instead of 1.
94 Output file names will be a simple number sequence
95 without the default first line of the commit appended.
99 Do not strip/add '[PATCH]' from the first line of the
104 Add `Signed-off-by:` line to the commit message, using
105 the committer identity of yourself.
108 Print all commits to the standard output in mbox format,
109 instead of creating a file for each one.
111 --attach[=<boundary>]::
112 Create multipart/mixed attachment, the first part of
113 which is the commit message and the patch itself in the
114 second part, with "Content-Disposition: attachment".
117 Disable the creation of an attachment, overriding the
118 configuration setting.
120 --inline[=<boundary>]::
121 Create multipart/mixed attachment, the first part of
122 which is the commit message and the patch itself in the
123 second part, with "Content-Disposition: inline".
126 Add In-Reply-To and References headers to make the second and
127 subsequent mails appear as replies to the first. Also generates
128 the Message-Id header to reference.
130 The optional <style> argument can be either `shallow` or `deep`.
131 'Shallow' threading makes every mail a reply to the head of the
132 series, where the head is chosen from the cover letter, the
133 `\--in-reply-to`, and the first patch mail, in this order. 'Deep'
134 threading makes every mail a reply to the previous one. If not
135 specified, defaults to the 'format.thread' configuration, or `shallow`
138 --in-reply-to=Message-Id::
139 Make the first mail (or all the mails with --no-thread) appear as a
140 reply to the given Message-Id, which avoids breaking threads to
141 provide a new patch series.
143 --ignore-if-in-upstream::
144 Do not include a patch that matches a commit in
145 <until>..<since>. This will examine all patches reachable
146 from <since> but not from <until> and compare them with the
147 patches being generated, and any patch that matches is
150 --subject-prefix=<Subject-Prefix>::
151 Instead of the standard '[PATCH]' prefix in the subject
152 line, instead use '[<Subject-Prefix>]'. This
153 allows for useful naming of a patch series, and can be
154 combined with the --numbered option.
157 Add a "Cc:" header to the email headers. This is in addition
158 to any configured headers, and may be used multiple times.
160 --add-header=<header>::
161 Add an arbitrary header to the email headers. This is in addition
162 to any configured headers, and may be used multiple times.
163 For example, --add-header="Organization: git-foo"
166 In addition to the patches, generate a cover letter file
167 containing the shortlog and the overall diffstat. You can
168 fill in a description in the file before sending it out.
171 Instead of using `.patch` as the suffix for generated
172 filenames, use specified suffix. A common alternative is
175 Note that you would need to include the leading dot `.` if you
176 want a filename like `0001-description-of-my-change.patch`, and
177 the first letter does not have to be a dot. Leaving it empty would
181 Don't output contents of changes in binary files, just take note
182 that they differ. Note that this disable the patch to be properly
183 applied. By default the contents of changes in those files are
184 encoded in the patch.
187 Treat the revision argument as a <revision range>, even if it
188 is just a single commit (that would normally be treated as a
189 <since>). Note that root commits included in the specified
190 range are always formatted as creation patches, independently
195 You can specify extra mail header lines to be added to each message
196 in the repository configuration, new defaults for the subject prefix
197 and file suffix, control attachements, and number patches when outputting
202 headers = "Organization: git-foo\n"
203 subjectprefix = CHANGE
207 attach [ = mime-boundary-string ]
215 * Extract commits between revisions R1 and R2, and apply them on top of
216 the current branch using 'git-am' to cherry-pick them:
219 $ git format-patch -k --stdout R1..R2 | git am -3 -k
222 * Extract all commits which are in the current branch but not in the
226 $ git format-patch origin
229 For each commit a separate file is created in the current directory.
231 * Extract all commits that lead to 'origin' since the inception of the
235 $ git format-patch --root origin
238 * The same as the previous one:
241 $ git format-patch -M -B origin
244 Additionally, it detects and handles renames and complete rewrites
245 intelligently to produce a renaming patch. A renaming patch reduces
246 the amount of text output, and generally makes it easier to review it.
247 Note that the "patch" program does not understand renaming patches, so
248 use it only when you know the recipient uses git to apply your patch.
250 * Extract three topmost commits from the current branch and format them
251 as e-mailable patches:
254 $ git format-patch -3
259 linkgit:git-am[1], linkgit:git-send-email[1]
264 Written by Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
268 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
272 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite
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