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configured into numerous development and testing tools. Once
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21
again, reusing a checkout across multiple branches can help.
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Changing where a branch is bound to
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-----------------------------------
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3. Make your checkout a copy of the desired branch by using
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the ``update`` command followed by the ``revert`` command.
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Note that simply binding to a new branch
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and running ``update`` is not enough: you need the ``revert`` to
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throw away any local differences in the working tree.
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Note that simply binding to a new branch and running ``update``
39
merges in your local changes, both committed and uncommitted. You need
40
to decide whether to keep them or not by running either ``revert``
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An alternative to the bind+update recipe is using the ``switch``
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command. This is basically the same as removing the existing
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branch and running ``checkout`` again on the new location, except
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that any uncommitted changes in your tree are merged in.
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Note: As ``switch`` can potentially throw away committed changes in
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order to make a checkout an accurate cache of a different bound branch,
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it will fail by design if there are changes which have been committed
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locally but are not yet committed to the most recently bound branch.
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To truly abandon these changes, use the ``--force`` option.
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Switching a lightweight checkout
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--------------------------------
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If you have a lightweight checkout, there is no local history
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to worry about. In this case, you
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can simply alter the branch that the checkout (i.e.
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working tree) is referring to by using the ``switch`` command.
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With a lightweight checkout, there are no local commits and ``switch``
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effectively changes which branch the working tree is associated with.
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One possible setup is to use a lightweight checkout in combination
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with a local tree-less repository. This lets you switch what you
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are working on with ease. For example::
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Note that X-trunk in this example will have a ``.bzr`` directory within it
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but their will be no working tree there as the branch was created in
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but there will be no working tree there as the branch was created in
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73
a tree-less repository. You can grab or create as many branches as you
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need there and switch between them as required. For example::
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bzr switch ../X-trunk
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(go back to working on the trunk)
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In many ways, ``switch`` operates like ``update`` in that it
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refreshes your working tree and merges in any local changes you
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have made. The primary different is that ``switch`` requires
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a branch location and it is only supported (currently) on
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lightweight checkouts.
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Note: The branches may be local only or they may be bound to
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remote ones (by creating them with ``checkout`` or by using ``bind``
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after creating them with ``branch``). ``switch`` and ``bind`` are
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similar but different: switch controls which branch the working tree
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refers to while ``bind`` associates a remote branch to the local one.
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after creating them with ``branch``).
added
removed
doc/en/user-guide/reusing_a_checkout.txt
