git-format-patch.txt

git-format-patch(1)
===================

NAME
----
git-format-patch - Prepare patches for e-mail submission


SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git-format-patch' [-n | -k] [-o <dir> | --stdout] [--attach] [-s] [-c]
 [--diff-options] <his> [<mine>]

DESCRIPTION
-----------
Prepare each commit with its patch since <mine> head forked from
<his> head, one file per patch formatted to resemble UNIX mailbox
format, for e-mail submission or use with gitlink:git-am[1].

Each output file is numbered sequentially from 1, and uses the
first line of the commit message (massaged for pathname safety)
as the filename.

When -o is specified, output files are created in <dir>; otherwise
they are created in the current working directory. This option
is ignored if --stdout is specified.

When -n is specified, instead of "[PATCH] Subject", the first
line is formatted as "[PATCH N/M] Subject", unless you have only
one patch.


OPTIONS
-------
-o|--output-directory <dir>::
Use <dir> to store the resulting files, instead of the
current working directory.

-n|--numbered::
Name output in '[PATCH n/m]' format.

-k|--keep-subject::
Do not strip/add '[PATCH]' from the first line of the
commit log message.

-s|--signoff::
Add `Signed-off-by:` line to the commit message, using
the committer identity of yourself.

-c|--check::
 Display suspicious lines in the patch. The definition
 of 'suspicious lines' is currently the lines that has
 trailing whitespaces, and the lines whose indentation
 has a SP character immediately followed by a TAB
 character.

--stdout::
This flag generates the mbox formatted output to the
standard output, instead of saving them into a file per
patch and implies --mbox.

--attach::
Create attachments instead of inlining patches.


CONFIGURATION
-------------
You can specify extra mail header lines to be added to each
message in the repository configuration as follows:

[format]
 headers = "Organization: git-foo\n"


EXAMPLES
--------

git-format-patch -k --stdout R1..R2 | git-am -3 -k::
Extract commits between revisions R1 and R2, and apply
them on top of the current branch using `git-am` to
cherry-pick them.

git-format-patch origin::
Extract commits the current branch accumulated since it
pulled from origin the last time in a patch form for
e-mail submission.

git-format-patch -M -B origin::
The same as the previous one, except detect and handle
renames and complete rewrites intelligently to produce
renaming patch. A renaming patch reduces the amount of
text output, and generally makes it easier to review
it. Note that the "patch" program does not understand
renaming patch well, so use it only when you know the
recipient uses git to apply your patch.


See Also
--------
gitlink:git-am[1], gitlink:git-send-email[1]


Author
------
Written by Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>

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

GIT
---
Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite