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.TH "GIT-CHECKOUT-INDEX" 1 "" "" ""
.SH NAME
git-checkout-index \- Copy files from the index to the working directory
.SH "SYNOPSIS"

.nf
git\-checkout\-index [\-u] [\-q] [\-a] [\-f] [\-n] [\-\-prefix=<string>]
                   [\-\-stage=<number>] [\-\-] <file>...
.fi

.SH "DESCRIPTION"


Will copy all files listed from the index to the working directory (not overwriting existing files)\&.

.SH "OPTIONS"

.TP
\-u|\-\-index
update stat information for the checked out entries in the index file\&.

.TP
\-q|\-\-quiet
be quiet if files exist or are not in the index

.TP
\-f|\-\-force
forces overwrite of existing files

.TP
\-a|\-\-all
checks out all files in the index\&. Cannot be used together with explicit filenames\&.

.TP
\-n|\-\-no\-create
Don't checkout new files, only refresh files already checked out\&.

.TP
\-\-prefix=<string>
When creating files, prepend <string> (usually a directory including a trailing /)

.TP
\-\-stage=<number>
Instead of checking out unmerged entries, copy out the files from named stage\&. <number> must be between 1 and 3\&.

.TP
--
Do not interpret any more arguments as options\&.


The order of the flags used to matter, but not anymore\&.


Just doing git\-checkout\-index does nothing\&. You probably meant git\-checkout\-index \-a\&. And if you want to force it, you want git\-checkout\-index \-f \-a\&.


Intuitiveness is not the goal here\&. Repeatability is\&. The reason for the "no arguments means no work" behavior is that from scripts you are supposed to be able to do:

.IP
$ find \&. \-name '*\&.h' \-print0 | xargs \-0 git\-checkout\-index \-f \-\-

which will force all existing *\&.h files to be replaced with their cached copies\&. If an empty command line implied "all", then this would force\-refresh everything in the index, which was not the point\&.


The \-\- is just a good idea when you know the rest will be filenames; it will prevent problems with a filename of, for example, \-a\&. Using \-\- is probably a good policy in scripts\&.

.SH "EXAMPLES"

.TP
To update and refresh only the files already checked out

.IP
$ git\-checkout\-index \-n \-f \-a && git\-update\-index \-\-ignore\-missing \-\-refresh
.TP
Using git\-checkout\-index to "export an entire tree"
The prefix ability basically makes it trivial to use git\-checkout\-index as an "export as tree" function\&. Just read the desired tree into the index, and do:


.IP
$ git\-checkout\-index \-\-prefix=git\-export\-dir/ \-agit\-checkout\-index will "export" the index into the specified directory\&.

The final "/" is important\&. The exported name is literally just prefixed with the specified string\&. Contrast this with the following example\&.

.TP
Export files with a prefix

.IP
$ git\-checkout\-index \-\-prefix=\&.merged\- MakefileThis will check out the currently cached copy of Makefile into the file \&.merged\-Makefile\&.

.SH "AUTHOR"


Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl\&.org>

.SH "DOCUMENTATION"


Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git\-list <git@vger\&.kernel\&.org>\&.

.SH "GIT"


Part of the \fBgit\fR(7) suite