JGit: Checkout a remote branch

Question

I'm using JGit to checkout a remote tracking branch.

Git binrepository = cloneCmd.call()

CheckoutCommand checkoutCmd = binrepository.checkout();
checkoutCmd.setName( "origin/" + branchName);
checkoutCmd.setUpstreamMode(CreateBranchCommand.SetupUpstreamMode.TRACK );
checkoutCmd.setStartPoint( "origin/" + branchName );

Ref ref = checkoutCmd.call();

The files are checked out, but the HEAD is not pointing to the branch. Following is the git status output,

$ git status
# Not currently on any branch.
nothing to commit (working directory clean)

The same operation can be performed in git command line, easily and it works,

git checkout -t origin/mybranch

How to do this JGit?

robinst · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-17T19:55:56.350

45

You have to use setCreateBranch to create a branch:

Ref ref = git.checkout().
        setCreateBranch(true).
        setName("branchName").
        setUpstreamMode(CreateBranchCommand.SetupUpstreamMode.TRACK).
        setStartPoint("origin/" + branchName).
        call();

Your first command was the equivalent of git checkout origin/mybranch.

(Edit: I submitted a patch to JGit to improve the documentation of CheckoutCommand: https://git.eclipse.org/r/8259)

edited Oct 17 '12 at 19:55

answered Oct 17 '12 at 06:26

robinst

30,027
10
102
108

I tried it. it works. its a simple solution. I need to make a change, commit and push to remote. I'll test that and update the thread. – Nambi Oct 17 '12 at 22:26
Much complete answer than mine. +1 – VonC Oct 18 '12 at 05:26
@AdamSiemion: What do you mean by that? `setStartPoint` should work with a tag name, otherwise it's a bug in JGit (please report it). – robinst Sep 24 '14 at 01:44
@robinst To make it work with a git tag name, `origin/` has to be removed, otherwise [this](https://issues.jboss.org/browse/FORGE-2033) will happen. – Adam Siemion Sep 24 '14 at 06:59
@AdamSiemion: Yeah, but that's the same as on the command line, tags are not namespaced like branches. – robinst Sep 24 '14 at 13:18
@robinst on the cmd line `git checkout ` work: `git checkout 2.1.2.Final` or `git checkout master`. – Adam Siemion Sep 24 '14 at 13:29
CreateBranchCommand is giving me an error: `CreateBranchCommand cannot be resolved to a variable`. Any ideas how to fix? – Jsleshem Aug 23 '19 at 13:25
is setCreateBranch always be true ? ref: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45587631/how-to-checkout-a-remote-branch-without-knowing-if-it-exists-locally-in-jgit – Mr.Raindrop Dec 01 '21 at 09:24

Jason Wheeler · Answer 2 · 2019-05-12T09:13:48.967

5

For whatever reason, the code that robinst posted did not work for me. In particular, the local branch that was created did not track the remote branch. This is what I used that worked for me (using jgit 2.0.0.201206130900-r):

git.pull().setCredentialsProvider(user).call();
git.branchCreate().setForce(true).setName(branch).setStartPoint("origin/" + branch).call();
git.checkout().setName(branch).call();

edited May 12 '19 at 09:13

answered Aug 07 '13 at 21:00

Jason Wheeler

872
1
9
23

1

This should be accepted answer. Other two solutions does not work. – PC. Apr 06 '17 at 12:17

score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 17 '12 at 06:24

4

As shown in the code of CheckoutCommand, you need to set the boolean createBranch to true in order to create a local branch.

You can see an example in CheckoutCommandTest - testCreateBranchOnCheckout()

@Test
public void testCreateBranchOnCheckout() throws Exception {
  git.checkout().setCreateBranch(true).setName("test2").call();
  assertNotNull(db.getRef("test2"));
}

answered Oct 17 '12 at 06:24

VonC

1,262,500
529
4,410
5,250

Good idea to link to test cases, +1 :) – robinst Oct 19 '12 at 11:31

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 09 '17 at 07:05

you also can just like this

git.checkout().setName(remoteBranch).setForce(true).call();
                logger.info("Checkout to remote branch:" + remoteBranch);
                git.branchCreate() 
                   .setName(branchName)
                   .setUpstreamMode(SetupUpstreamMode.SET_UPSTREAM)
                   .setStartPoint(remoteBranch)
                   .setForce(true)
                   .call(); 
                logger.info("create new locale branch:" + branchName + "set_upstream with:" + remoteBranch);
                git.checkout().setName(branchName).setForce(true).call();
                logger.info("Checkout to locale branch:" + branchName);

JGit: Checkout a remote branch

4 Answers4

Linked