Calling this function will create a temporary clone of the current repository, create a `gh-pages` branch if one doesn't already exist, copy over all files from the base path, or only those that match patterns from the optional `src` configuration, commit all changes, and push to the `origin` remote.
If a `gh-pages` branch already exists, it will be updated with all commits from the remote before adding any commits from the provided `src` files.
**Note** that any files in the `gh-pages` branch that are *not* in the `src` files **will be removed**. See the [`add` option](#optionsadd) if you don't want any of the existing files removed.
The default options work for simple cases cases. The options described below let you push to alternate branches, customize your commit messages, and more.
Include dotfiles. By default, files starting with `.` are ignored unless they are explicitly provided in the `src` array. If you want to also include dotfiles that otherwise match your `src` patterns, set `dotfiles: true` in your options.
Example use of the `dotfiles` option:
```js
/**
* The usage below will push dotfiles (directories and files)
Only add, and never remove existing files. By default, existing files in the target branch are removed before adding the ones from your `src` config. If you want the task to add new `src` files but leave existing ones untouched, set `add: true` in your options.
Example use of the `add` option:
```js
/**
* The usage below will only add files to the `gh-pages` branch, never removing
* any existing files (even if they don't exist in the `src` config).
* default: url for the origin remote of the current dir (assumes a git repository)
By default, `gh-pages` assumes that the current working directory is a git repository, and that you want to push changes to the `origin` remote.
If instead your script is not in a git repository, or if you want to push to another repository, you can provide the repository URL in the `repo` option.
Example use of the `repo` option:
```js
/**
* If the current directory is not a clone of the repository you want to work
* with, set the URL for the repository in the `repo` option. This usage will
* push all files in the `src` config to the `gh-pages` branch of the `repo`.
*/
ghpages.publish(path.join(__dirname, 'build'), {
repo: 'https://example.com/other/repo.git'
}, callback);
```
#### <a id="optionsbranch">options.branch</a>
* type: `string`
* default: `'gh-pages'`
The name of the branch you'll be pushing to. The default uses GitHub's `gh-pages` branch, but this can be configured to push to any branch on any remote.
Example use of the `branch` option:
```js
/**
* This task pushes to the `master` branch of the configured `repo`.
Create a tag after committing changes on the target branch. By default, no tag is created. To create a tag, provide the tag name as the option value.
#### <a id="optionsmessage">options.message</a>
* type: `string`
* default: `'Updates'`
The commit message for all commits.
Example use of the `message` option:
```js
/**
* This adds commits with a custom message.
*/
ghpages.publish(path.join(__dirname, 'build'), {
message: 'Auto-generated commit'
}, callback);
```
#### <a id="optionsuser">options.user</a>
* type: `Object`
* default: `null`
If you are running the `gh-pages` task in a repository without a `user.name` or `user.email` git config properties (or on a machine without these global config properties), you must provide user info before git allows you to commit. The `options.user` object accepts `name` and `email` string values to identify the committer.
Example use of the `user` option:
```js
ghpages.publish(path.join(__dirname, 'build'), {
user: {
name: 'Joe Code',
email: 'coder@example.com'
}
}, callback);
```
#### <a id="optionsclone">options.clone</a>
* type: `string`
* default: temporary directory inside the `gh-pages` directory
Path to a directory where your repository will be cloned. If this directory doesn't already exist, it will be created. If it already exists, it is assumed to be a clone of your repository.
Example use of the `clone` option:
```js
/**
* If you already have a temp directory, and want the repository cloned there,
* use the `clone` option as below. To avoid re-cloning every time the task is
* run, this should be a directory that sticks around for a while.
*/
ghpages.publish(path.join(__dirname, 'build'), {
clone: 'path/to/tmp/dir'
}, callback);
```
#### <a id="optionspush">options.push</a>
* type: `boolean`
* default: `true`
Push branch to remote. To commit only (with no push) set to `false`.
Suppress logging. This option should be used if the repository URL or other information passed to git commands is sensitive and should not be logged. With silent `true` log messages are suppressed and error messages are sanitized.
Example use of the `silent` option:
```js
/**
* This configuration will suppress logging and sanitize error messages.
Note that this plugin requires Git 1.7.6 or higher (because it uses the `--exit-code` option for `git ls-remote`). If you'd like to see this working with earlier versions of Git, please [open an issue](https://github.com/tschaub/gh-pages/issues).
