Overwrite: Document --overwrite option (without VERSION)

[dgit.git] / dgit.1

diff --git a/dgit.1 b/dgit.1
index 8769f72332c8f9e84a68abb7cc96f0013c4f52a2..39edaaaf6802f07e2c4f7e799c8f3ea6eeb588a3 100644 (file)
--- a/dgit.1
+++ b/dgit.1
@@ -330,23 +330,33 @@ This can be useful with build, if you plan to commit later.  (dgit
 push will still ensure that the .dsc you upload and the git tree
 you push are identical, so this option won't make broken pushes.)
 .TP
-.BI --overwrite= previous-version
-Declare that even though your git branch is not a descendant of
-.IR previous-version
-according to the revision history, in fact, it really does contain
+.BR --overwrite =\fIprevious-version\fR
+Declare that even though your git branch is not a descendant
+of the version in the archive
+according to the revision history,
+it really does contain
 all the (wanted) changes from that version.
-.I previous-version
-ought to be the version currently in the archive.
 
-dgit push will make a
+This option is useful if you are the maintainer, and you have
+incorporated NMU changes into your own git workflow in a way that
+doesn't make your branch a fast forward from the NMU.
+
+.I previous-version
+ought to be the version currently in the archive.  If
+.I previous-version
+is not
+specified, dgit will check that the version in the archive is
+mentioned in your debian/changelog.
+(This will avoid losing
+changes unless someone committed to git a finalised changelog
+entry, and then made later changes to that version.)
+
+dgit push --overwrite
+will make a
 pseudo-merge (that is, something that looks like the result
 of git merge -s ours) to stitch the archive's version into your own
 git history, so that your push is a fast forward from the archive.
 
-This option is useful if you are the maintainer, and you have
-incorporated NMU changes into your own git workflow in way that
-doesn't make your branch a fast forward from the NMU.
-
 (In quilt mode
 .BR gbp ", " dpm " or " unpatched ,
 implying a split between the dgit view and the
@@ -641,14 +651,17 @@ archive and record it in the
 tracking branch.  Then somehow, using your other git history
 plus appropriate diffs and cherry picks from the dgit remote tracking
 branch, construct a git commit whose tree corresponds to the tree to use for the
-next upload.  If that commit-to-be-uploaded is not a descendant of the
-dgit remote tracking branch, check it out and say
-.BR "git merge -s ours remotes/dgit/dgit/" \fIsuite\fR;
-that tells git that we are deliberately throwing away any differences
+next upload. 
+
 between what's in the archive and what you intend to upload.
 Then run
 .BR "dgit push"
 to actually upload the result.
+
+If the commit-to-be-uploaded is not a descendant of the
+dgit remote tracking branch, you will need to pass
+.B --overwrite
+to dgit.
 .SH CONFIGURATION
 dgit can be configured via the git config system.
 You may set keys with git-config (either in system-global or per-tree