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Denise Edwards
4,924 PointsDo you really need the capital D to delete a branch?
"git branch -d [branch_name]" seems to work the same? Is there a difference between using "-D" and "-d"?
2 Answers
Christian Andersson
8,712 PointsYes, there's a difference. The capital D is like a "force" version of -d. If the branch isn't fully merged you'll get an error if you use the lowercase version.
Uppercase and lowercase flags like this are common in git, and share the similar differences.
Mark Chesney
11,747 PointsI think the lesson taught us -D rather than -d because we didn't learn merging yet at this point in the course.
The -d option stands for --delete, which would delete the local branch, only if you have already pushed and merged it with your remote branches.
The -D option stands for --delete --force, which deletes the branch regardless of its push and merge status, so be careful using this one!
Denise Edwards
4,924 PointsDenise Edwards
4,924 PointsI see! If that's the case though, wouldn't it be a better idea to use the lowercase whenever possible? That way there's less of a chance of screwing things up if you didn't fully merge, like you said. Why is it better to use the capital (or why do you think Tommy choose to teach it that way?)
Christian Andersson
8,712 PointsChristian Andersson
8,712 PointsWell one less warning to worry about I suppose :)