Creating an Empty Branch

[Richard Fyffe]

I want to create a new branch and upload a completely different code base while keeping the original codebase intact on the master branch. However when I attempted this I wound up with a second branch with the master branches code. How do I create an empty branch to upload my new codebase to?

[aMarcus · Accepted solution]

Hello,

From the git man pages, you can create a totally new line of history starting with the current version of all files by running:

git checkout --orphan branch-name

If you additionally do not want any of the files, you would then run:

git rm -rf .

Which would completely empty the current files. Be sure you are running git rm and not simply rm as you'll wipe out the .git directory and all your local history too!

[Richard Fyffe]

You mean if I call "git rm" it would wipe out everything in the branch, cause thats what I'm trying to do, or do you mean that would wipe the whole repo (something I very much do not want to do)

Sorry for the super late reply.

[Richard Fyffe]

I've found the solution, I just untracked everything added the new files in and then "git push -f origin [Branch Name]" and that worked.

[aMarcus]

git rm -rf .

Will remove everything from the working branch. As long as you have switched branches first, this is safe. Don't foget testing is as easy as making a copy/clone of the entire repo and trying it! Untracking everything and pushing probably isn't what you were looking to do unless you already committed all your files into the branch.

[Manjunath TJ]

Hi,

Is there any way to do the same from EGit on Eclipse? 

Thanks in Advance.

[jose rosauro]

thanks! it has worked well for me.

[Richard Fyffe]

Guess I'm gonna have to bump this