git-debrebase - delta queue rebase tool for Debian packaging
+=head1 SYNOPSYS
+
+ git-debrebase [<options...>] [-- <git-rebase options...>]
+ git-debrebase [<options...>] <operation> [<operation options...>
+
=head1 INTRODUCTION
git-debrebase is a tool for representing in git,
This is the command line reference.
Please read the tutorial
L<dgit-maint-debrebase(5)>.
-
For background, theory of operation,
-and definitions of the terms used here,
-see L<git-debrebase(5)>.
+and definitions see L<git-debrebase(5)>.
+
+You should read this manpage in conjunction with
+L<git-debrebase(5)/TERMINOLOGY>,
+which defines many important terms used here.
=head1 PRINCIPAL OPERATIONS
If there is no ffq-prev, it is an error, unless --noop-ok.
+It is a problem if the branch is not laundered.
+
=item git-debrebase new-upstream-v0 <new-version> [<upstream-details>...]
Rebases the delta queue
It is a problem unless the new upstream(s)
are fast forward from the previous upstream(s)
as found in the current breakwater anchor.
-And, in the case of a multi-piece upstream,
+And, in the case of a multi-piece upstream
+(a multi-component upstream, in dpkg-source terminology),
if the pieces are not in the same order, with the same names.
If all seems well, unstitches and launders the branch.
If you git-rebase --abort,
the whole new upstream operation is aborted,
-but the laundering will still have been done.
+except for the laundering.
The <upstream-details> are, optionally, in order:
=over
-=item <upstream-commitish>
+=item <upstream-commit-ish>
-The new upstream branch (or commitish).
+The new upstream branch (or commit-ish).
Default is C<upstream>.
It is a problem if the upstream contains a debian/ directory;
git-debrebase will disregard the upstream's debian/ and
take (only) the packaging from the current breakwater.
-=item <piece-name> <piece-upstream-commitish>
+=item <piece-name> <piece-upstream-commit-ish>
Specifies that this is a multi-piece upstream.
-(A multi-component upstream, in dpkg-source terminology.)
May be repeated.
When such a pair is specified,
and then use the result as the combined new upstream.
For each <piece-name>,
-the tree of the <piece-upstream-commitish>
+the tree of the <piece-upstream-commit-ish>
becomes the subdirectory <piece-name>
in the combined new upstream
(supplanting any subdirectory that might be there in
passed to git-debrebase.
git-debrebase does not concern itself with source packages
so neither helps with this, nor checks it.
-L<git-archive(1)>, L<dgit(1)> and L<gbp(1)> may be able to help.
+L<git-deborig(1)>,
+L<git-archive(1)>, L<dgit(1)> and
+L<gbp-import-orig(1)> may be able to help.
+
+This subcommand has -v0 in its name because we are not yet sure
+that its command line syntax is optimal.
+We may want to introduce an incompatible replacement syntax
+under the name C<new-upstream>.
+
+=item git-debrebase convert-from-gbp [<upstream-commit-ish>]
+
+Cnnverts a gbp patches-unapplied branch
+(not a gbp pq patch queue branch)
+into a git-debrebase interchange branch.
+
+This is done by generating a new anchor merge,
+converting the quilt patches as a delta queue,
+and dropping the patches from the tree.
+
+The upstream commit-ish should correspond to
+the gbp upstream branch, if there is one.
+It is a problem if it is not an ancestor of HEAD,
+or if the history between the upstream and HEAD
+contains commits which make changes to upstream files.
+
+It is also a problem if the specified upstream
+has a debian/ subdirectory.
+This check exists to detect certain likely user errors,
+but if this situation is true and expected,
+forcing it is fine.
+
+The result is a well-formed git-debrebase interchange branch.
+The result is also fast-forward from the gbp branch.
+
+Note that it is dangerous not to know whether you are
+dealing with a gbp patches-unappled branch containing quilt patches,
+or a git-debrebase interchange branch.
+At worst,
+using the wrong tool for the branch format might result in
+a dropped patch queue!
+
+=back
+
+=head1 UNDERLYING AND SUPPLEMENTARY OPERATIONS
+
+=over
+
+=item git-debrebase breakwater
+
+Prints the breakwater tip commitid.
+If your HEAD branch is not fully laundered,
+prints the tip of the so-far-laundered breakwater.
+
+=item git-debrebase anchor
+
+Prints the breakwater anchor commitid.
+
+=item git-debrebase analyse
+
+Walks the history of the current branch,
+most recent commit first,
+back until the most recent anchor,
+printing the commit object id,
+and commit type and info
+(ie the semantics in the git-debrebase model)
+for each commit.
+
+=item git-debrebase record-ffq-prev
+
+Establishes the current branch's ffq-prev,
+as discussed in L</UNSTITCHING AND LAUNDERING>,
+but does not launder the branch or move HEAD.
+
+It is an error if the ffq-prev could not be recorded.
+It is also an error if an ffq-prev has already been recorded,
+unless --noop-ok.
+
+=item git-debrebase launder-v0
+
+Launders the branch without recording anything in ffq-prev.
+Then prints some information about the current branch.
+Do not use this operation;
+it will be withdrawn soon.
+
+=item git-debrebase convert-to-gbp
+
+Converts a laundered branch into a
+gbp patches-unapplied branch containing quilt patches.
+The result is not fast forward from the interchange branch,
+and any ffq-prev is deleted.
+
+This is provided mostly for the test suite
+and for unusual situations.
+It should only be used with a care and
+with a proper understanding of the underlying theory.
+
+Be sure to not accidentally treat the result as
+a git-debrebase branch,
+or you will drop all the patches!
+
+=back
+
+=head1 OPTIONS
+
+This section documents the general options
+to git-debrebase
+(ie, the ones which immediately follow
+git-debrebase
+or
+git debrebase
+on the command line).
+Individual operations may have their own options which are
+docuented under each operation.
+
+=over
+
+=item -f<problem-id>
+
+Turns problems with id <problem-id> into warnings.
+
+Some troublesome things which git-debrebase encounters
+are B<problem>s.
+(The specific instances are discussed
+in the text for the relvant operation.)
+
+When a problem is detected,
+a message is printed to stderr containing the problem id
+(in the form C<-f<problem-idE<gt>>),
+along with some prose.
+
+If problems are detected, git-debrebase does not continue,
+unless the relevant -f<problem-id> is specified,
+or --force is specified.
+
+=item --force
+
+Turns all problems into warnings.
+See the -f<problem-id> option.
+
+Do not invoke git-debrebase --force in scripts and aliases;
+instead, specify the particular -f<problem-id> for expected problems.
+
+=item --noop-ok
+
+Suppresses the error in
+some situations where git-debrebase does nothing,
+because there is nothing to do.
+
+The specific instances are discussed
+in the text for the relvant operation.
+
+=item --anchor=<commit-ish>
+
+Treats <commit-ish> as an anchor.
+This overrides the usual logic which automatically classifies
+commits as anchors, pseudomerges, delta queue commits, etc.
+
+It also disables some coherency checks
+which depend on metadata extracted from its commit message,
+so
+it is a problem if <commit-ish> is the anchor
+for the previous upstream version in
+git-debrebase new-upstream operations.
+
+=item -D
+
+Requests (more) debugging. May be repeated.
=back
=head2 Establish the current branch's ffq-prev
-If it is not yet recorded, we
-check that the current branch is ahead of relevant
+If ffq-prev is not yet recorded,
+git-debrebase checks that the current branch is ahead of relevant
remote tracking branches.
+The relevant branches depend on
+the current branch (and its
+git configuration)
+and are as follows:
-The remote tracking branches checked by default are
-obtained from the git config.
-In each case it is a problem if we are behind the checked remote,
-or if we have diverged from it.
-All the checks are local:
-git-debrebase does not fetch anything from anywhere.
+=over
+
+=item
+
+The branch that git would merge from
+(remote.<branch>.merge, remote.<branch>.remote);
+
+=item
+
+The branch git would push to, if different
+(remote.<branch>.pushRemote etc.);
-We check the branch we would merge from
-(remote.<branch>.merge, remote.<branch>.remote)
-and the branch we would push to
-(remote.<branch>.pushRemote etc.).
-For local dgit suite branches
-we check the corresponding tracking remote.
-If we are on C<master>, we check remotes/dgit/dgit/sid.
-The resulting ref names to check are filtered through
+=item
+
+For local dgit suite branches,
+the corresponding tracking remote;
+
+=item
+
+If you are on C<master>,
+remotes/dgit/dgit/sid.
+
+=back
+
+The apparently relevant ref names to check are filtered through
branch.<branch>.ffq-ffrefs,
which is a semicolon-separated list of glob patterns,
each optionally preceded by !; first match wins.
+In each case it is a problem if
+the local HEAD is behind the checked remote,
+or if local HEAD has diverged from it.
+All the checks are done locally using the remote tracking refs:
+git-debrebase does not fetch anything from anywhere.
+
If these checks pass,
or are forced,
-we then record the current tip as ffq-prev.
+git-debrebse then records the current tip as ffq-prev.
=head2 Examine the branch
-Analyse the current HEAD's history to find the anchor
+git-debrebase
+analyses the current HEAD's history to find the anchor
in its breakwater,
and the most recent breakwater tip.
This rewrite will always succeed, by construction.
The result is the laundered branch.
-=head1 UNDERLYING AND SUPPLEMENTARY OPERATIONS
-
-=over
-
-=item git-debrebase breakwater
-
-Prints the breakwater tip commitid.
-Fails if your HEAD branch is not laundered.
-
-=back
-
=head1 SEE ALSO
git-debrebase(1),
dgit-maint-rebase(7),
-dgit(1)
+dgit(1),
+gitglossary(7)