branch-alias subcommand for git

git-branch-alias

#!/bin/bash
# git branch-alias
# Version 1.07
# Author: Phil S.

# Creates branch aliases, so that you can refer to a long branch name
# by a convenient short alias. This is just a "do what I mean" wrapper
# around git symbolic-ref, but without the (considerable) risk of
# trashing a branch if you get your arguments wrong

# Examples:
# git branch-alias short some-overly-long-branch-name # creates alias
# git branch-alias short # creates alias for current branch
# git log short
# git checkout short
# git push origin short # pushes the branch, not the alias/reference
# git branch-alias --delete short

# Caveats:
# Although everything else I've tried works seamlessly, I note that
# git merge <alias> will cause the alias name to be mentioned in the
# commit message, rather than the real branch. It would be nicer if
# the branch name appeared.

# Compatibility:
# Developed with git version 1.7.12.4
# Tested with git version 1.9.0
#
# Related git changes between versions 1.7.12.4 and 1.9.0:
#
# 1.8.0.1
#  * A symbolic ref refs/heads/SYM was not correctly removed with "git
#    branch -d SYM"; the command removed the ref pointed by SYM
#    instead.
#
# 1.8.1
#  * "git symbolic-ref" learned the "-d $symref" option to delete the
#    named symbolic ref, which is more intuitive way to spell it than
#    "update-ref -d --no-deref $symref".

#cwd=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
git=$(git rev-parse --git-dir)
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    exit 1
fi

command=$(basename $0)
command="git ${command##git-}"

# Process command line options
# MRK note: I stripped out the long option support because OS X couldn't
# handle it
opts=$(getopt hd "$@")

if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    eval set -- ${opts}
    while true; do
        case "$1" in
            ( -d ) delete=1; shift;;
            ( -h ) help=1; shift; break;;
            ( -- ) shift; break;;
        esac
    done
else
    help=1 # getopt returned (and reported) an error.
fi

# Process non-option arguments
symref=$1
branch=$2

if [ -z "${symref}" ]; then
    help=1
fi

if [ -n "${help}" ]; then
    echo "\
Usage:
${command} <alias> [ <branch> ]
${command} [ --delete | -d ] <alias>

Creates a symbolic reference <alias> referring to <branch>.
<branch> defaults to the current checked-out branch.

This symbolic reference acts as an alias for <branch>, and can be
used in its place. More specifically, it WILL be dereferenced to
its target in nearly all situations, so for any given command you
should treat every usage of <alias> as if it were actually <branch>.

To safely delete a branch alias, use:
${command} --delete <alias>

WARNING: These symbolic references appear in your branch list as:
 <alias> -> <branch>
and so you might be tempted to try to delete them like a branch:
 git branch -d <alias>

However this can cause problems. In git versions prior to 1.8.0.1
<alias> will be dereferenced and you will instead delete the
branch it refers to (git will allow this even if you currently
have that branch checked out), and the symbolic reference will
still remain (referencing a branch which is no longer available).

In later versions of git the <alias> will be deleted rather than
the branch; however git will still not check to see whether you
currently have <alias> checked out, and will not prevent you
from deleting it in that situation. This will leave your HEAD ref
in an invalid state. Using ${command} -d <alias> resolves this
situation by switching HEAD to <alias>'s target.

"
    exit 0
fi

# Use the current branch by default.
if [ -z "${branch}" ]; then
    branch=$(git symbolic-ref -q HEAD)
    if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
        echo "Could not establish current HEAD." >&2
        exit 1
    fi
fi

# We expect plain branch names, but also accept the fully-qualified
# (refs/heads/NAME) paths needed by git symbolic-ref; so strip that
# refs/heads/ prefix if it is specified.
branch=${branch##refs/heads/}
symref=${symref##refs/heads/}

# Deleting a symref.
if [ -n "${delete}" ]; then
    if [ ! -f "${git}/refs/heads/${symref}" ]; then
        echo "Symbolic reference refs/heads/${symref} does not exist." >&2
        exit 1
    fi

    # Verify that it IS a symbolic reference
    if ! git show-ref --verify --heads --quiet "refs/heads/${symref}"; then
        echo "refs/heads/${symref} is not a valid reference." >&2
        exit 1
    fi
    if ! git symbolic-ref "refs/heads/${symref}" >/dev/null; then
        echo "Error validating refs/heads/${symref} as symbolic reference." >&2
        exit 1
    fi

    # If we currently have <symref> checked out, deleting it is bad
    # (as HEAD would no longer be a valid reference). I believe we do
    # need to inspect the file here, as attempting to read the HEAD
    # reference via git dereferences it to its target branch, and thus
    # we are unable to distinguish between the branch and the symref.
    if grep -q "^ref: refs/heads/${symref}\$" "${git}/HEAD"; then
        echo "Cannot delete the currently checked out symbolic reference."
        branch=$(git symbolic-ref -q HEAD)
        if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
            echo "Could not establish current HEAD." >&2
            exit 1
        fi
        echo "Switching HEAD to target branch ${branch}"
        # By using git symbolic-ref HEAD to find the target ref
        # and setting HEAD to that target, nothing really changes,
        # but we can now delete the reference safely.
        if ! git symbolic-ref HEAD "${branch}"; then
            echo "Error updating HEAD from ${symref} to ${branch}" >&2
            echo "Aborting." >&2
            exit 1
        fi
    fi

    # Delete the reference.
    # git 1.8.1+ provides: git symbolic-ref --delete <symref>
    # but older versions do not include that option, so we use
    # the backwards-compatible command.
    echo "Deleting symbolic reference refs/heads/${symref}"
    git update-ref -d --no-deref "refs/heads/${symref}"
    exit $?
fi

# Creating a new symbolic reference.

# Error checking. git symbolic-ref doesn't really do any, and will
# happily mess up your branches; particularly if you get the arguments
# the wrong way around (treating it like ln -s is a really bad idea).
if [ ! -f "${git}/refs/heads/${branch}" ]; then
    echo "${git}/refs/heads/${branch}"
    echo "Target refs/heads/${branch} does not exist." >&2
    exit 1
fi

if [ -f "${git}/refs/heads/${symref}" ]; then
    target=$(git symbolic-ref "refs/heads/${symref}")
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        echo "Symbolic reference refs/heads/${symref} already exists:" >&2
        echo "  ${symref} -> ${target##refs/heads/}" >&2
        echo "To remove it, use: ${command} --delete ${symref}" >&2
    else
        echo "File refs/heads/${symref} already exists" >&2
        echo "(and is not a symbolic reference!)" >&2
    fi
    exit 1
fi
if git show-ref --verify --heads --quiet "refs/heads/${symref}"; then
    # n.b. I'm pretty sure this is unreachable, given the previous block.
    echo "refs/heads/${symref} is a valid reference without a file!?" >&2
    exit 1
fi

# The parameters are good.
# Generate the reference and display the confirmed result.
if git symbolic-ref "refs/heads/${symref}" "refs/heads/${branch}"; then
    target=$(git symbolic-ref "refs/heads/${symref}")
    echo "  ${symref} -> ${target##refs/heads/}"
else
    echo "Failed to create branch alias." >&2
    exit 1
fi

Hi, how/where would do I install this?

never mind... someone added it to npm 💃 https://www.npmjs.com/package/git-branch-alias