git/Documentation/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] [-s] [-c] [--mbox]
		 [--diff-options] <his> [<mine>]

DESCRIPTION
-----------
Prepare each commit with its patch since <mine> head forked from
<his> head, one file per patch, for e-mail submission.  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 that
directory; otherwise in the current working directory.

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

When --mbox is specified, the output is formatted to resemble
UNIX mailbox format, and can be concatenated together for
processing with applymbox.


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.

-a|--author, -d|--date::
	Output From: and Date: headers for commits made by
	yourself as well.  Usually these are output only for
	commits made by people other than yourself.

-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.

-m|--mbox::
	Format the output files for closer to mbox format by
	adding a phony Unix "From " line, so they can be
	concatenated together and fed to `git-applymbox`.
	Implies --author and --date.

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


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