git_branch: Git Branch

In gert: Simple Git Client for R

Git Branch

Description

Create, list, and checkout branches.

Usage

git_branch(repo = ".")

git_branch_list(local = NULL, repo = ".")

git_branch_checkout(branch, force = FALSE, orphan = FALSE, repo = ".")

git_branch_switch(branch, force = FALSE, orphan = FALSE, repo = ".")

git_branch_create(
  branch,
  ref = "HEAD",
  checkout = TRUE,
  force = FALSE,
  repo = "."
)

git_branch_delete(branch, repo = ".")

git_branch_move(branch, new_branch, force = FALSE, repo = ".")

git_branch_fast_forward(ref, repo = ".")

git_branch_set_upstream(upstream, branch = git_branch(repo), repo = ".")

git_branch_exists(branch, local = TRUE, repo = ".")

Arguments

repo	The path to the git repository. If the directory is not a repository, parent directories are considered (see git_find()). To disable this search, provide the filepath protected with I(). When using this parameter, always explicitly call by name (i.e. ⁠repo = ⁠) because future versions of gert may have additional parameters.
local	set TRUE to only check for local branches, FALSE to check for remote branches. Use NULL to return all branches.
branch	name of branch to check out
force	overwrite existing branch
orphan	if branch does not exist, checkout unborn branch
ref	string with a branch/tag/commit
checkout	move HEAD to the newly created branch
new_branch	target name of the branch once the move is performed; this name is validated for consistency.
upstream	remote branch from git_branch_list, for example "origin/master"

Related libgit2 documentation

branch, checkout.

See Also

Other git: git_archive, git_commit(), git_config(), git_diff(), git_fetch(), git_history, git_ignore, git_merge(), git_rebase(), git_remote, git_repo, git_reset(), git_restore(), git_revert(), git_signature(), git_stash, git_tag, git_worktree

Examples

# Creating a branch
repo <- file.path(tempdir(), "myrepo")
git_init(repo)
writeLines("hello", file.path(repo, "hello.txt"))
git_add("hello.txt", repo = repo)
first_commit <- git_commit("First commit", repo = repo)

git_branch_create("new-feat", repo = repo)
writeLines("world", file.path(repo, "hello.txt"))
git_add("hello.txt", repo = repo)
second_commit <- git_commit("Second commit", repo = repo)

# Changing branches
git_branch(repo = repo)
git_branch_switch("main", repo = repo)
git_branch(repo = repo)

git_branch_exists("new-feat", repo = repo)

# Listing branches
git_branch_list(repo = repo)

# Renaming a branch
git_branch_move("new-feat", "better-name", repo = repo)
git_branch_exists("new-feat", repo = repo)
git_branch_list(repo = repo)

# Deleting a branch
git_branch_delete("better-name", repo = repo)
git_branch_exists("better-name", repo = repo)

# clean up
unlink(repo, recursive = TRUE)
# ------------------------
# Creating an orphan branch
repo <- file.path(tempdir(), "myrepo")
git_init(repo)

# Set a user if no default
if (!user_is_configured()) {
  git_config_set("user.name", "Jerry")
  git_config_set("user.email", "[e-mail]")
}
writeLines("hello", file.path(repo, "hello.txt"))
git_add("hello.txt", repo = repo)
first_commit <- git_commit("First commit", repo = repo)

writeLines("world", file.path(repo, "hello.txt"))
git_add("hello.txt", repo = repo)
second_commit <- git_commit("Second commit", repo = repo)

# Check out first commit
git_branch_checkout(first_commit, orphan = TRUE, repo = repo)
git_status(repo)
# clean up
unlink(repo, recursive = TRUE)

gert documentation built on July 22, 2026, 5:07 p.m.