git town hack

git town hack [<branch-name>...] [-p | --prototype] [-d | --detached] [-c | --commit] [-m | --message <message>] [--propose] [--dry-run] [-v | --verbose]

The hack command (“let’s start hacking”) creates a new feature branch with the given name off the main branch and brings all uncommitted changes over to it.

Consider this stack:

main
 \
  branch-1
   \
*   branch-2

We are on the branch-2 branch. After running git hack branch-3, our workspace contains these branches:

main
 \
  branch-1
   \
    branch-2
 \
* branch-3

If your Git workspace is clean (no uncommitted changes), it also syncs the main branch to ensure you develop on top of the current state of the repository. If the workspace is not clean (contains uncommitted changes), git town hack does not perform this sync to let you commit your open changes.

Upstream remote

If the repository contains a remote called upstream, it also syncs the main branch with its upstream counterpart. You can control this behavior with the sync-upstream flag.

Positional arguments

When given a non-existing branch name, git town hack creates a new feature branch with the main branch as its parent.

When given an existing contribution, observed, parked, or prototype branch, git town hack converts that branch to a feature branch.

When given no arguments, git town hack converts the current contribution, observed, parked, or prototype branch into a feature branch.

Options

-p
--prototype

Adding the --prototype aka -p switch creates a prototype branch.

-d
--detached

The --detached aka -d flag does not pull updates from the main or perennial branch. This allows you to build out your stack and decide when to pull in changes from other developers.

-c
--commit

When given, commits the currently staged changes into the branch to create and remains on the current branch. This is intended to quickly commit changes unrelated to the current branch into another branch and keep hacking on the current branch. Committing suppresses all branch updates to allow you to get your open changes committed.

-b
--beam

Moves (“beams”) one or more commits from the current branch to the new feature branch that gets created. Lets you select the commits to beam via a visual dialog. Beaming suppresses all branch updates. Any merge conflicts encountered while beaming arise from moving the beamed commits.

-m
--message

Commit message to use together with --commit. Implies --commit.

--propose

Propose the created branch.

--dry-run

Use the --dry-run flag to test-drive this command. It prints the Git commands that would be run but doesn’t execute them.

-v
--verbose

The --verbose aka -v flag prints all Git commands run under the hood to determine the repository state.

Configuration

If push-new-branches is set, git town hack creates a remote tracking branch for the new feature branch. This behavior is disabled by default to make git town hack run fast. The first run of git town sync will create the remote tracking branch.

If the configuration setting new-branch-type is set, git town hack creates a branch with the given type.