git/list[1] front-page[2] threads[3] people[4] search[5] about
 

[PATCH 2/5] Add platform-independent .git "symlink"

From
LHLars Hjemli <hjemli@gmail.com>
Date
Feb 18, 2008, 10:44 UTC
Message-ID
<1203331463-13857-3-git-send-email-hjemli@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<1203331463-13857-2-git-send-email-hjemli@gmail.com>

This patch allows .git to be a regular textfile containing the path of the real git directory (prefixed with "gitdir: "), which can be useful on platforms lacking support for real symlinks.

Signed-off-by: Lars Hjemli <hjemli@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/repository-layout.txt |    5 ++-
 cache.h                             |    1 +
 environment.c                       |    2 +
 setup.c                             |   47 ++++++++++++++++++++++
 t/t0002-gitfile.sh                  |   74 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 5 files changed, 128 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
 create mode 100755 t/t0002-gitfile.sh
diff --git a/Documentation/repository-layout.txt b/Documentation/repository-layout.txt
index 6939130..bbaed2e 100644
--- a/Documentation/repository-layout.txt
+++ b/Documentation/repository-layout.txt
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@ git repository layout
 
 You may find these things in your git repository (`.git`
 directory for a repository associated with your working tree, or
-`'project'.git` directory for a public 'bare' repository).
+`'project'.git` directory for a public 'bare' repository. It is
+also possible to have a working tree where `.git` is a plain
+ascii file containing `gitdir: <path>`, i.e. the path to the
+real git repository).
 
 objects::
 	Object store associated with this repository.  Usually
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index e1000bc..1ad822a 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -277,6 +277,7 @@ extern char *get_index_file(void);
 extern char *get_graft_file(void);
 extern int set_git_dir(const char *path);
 extern const char *get_git_work_tree(void);
+extern const char *read_gitfile_gently(const char *path);
 
 #define ALTERNATE_DB_ENVIRONMENT "GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES"
 
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 3527f16..8058e7b 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ static void setup_git_env(void)
 {
 	git_dir = getenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
 	if (!git_dir)
+		git_dir = read_gitfile_gently(DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (!git_dir)
 		git_dir = DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT;
 	git_object_dir = getenv(DB_ENVIRONMENT);
 	if (!git_object_dir) {
diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index 4509598..20502be 100644
--- a/setup.c
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -239,6 +239,44 @@ static int check_repository_format_gently(int *nongit_ok)
 }
 
 /*
+ * Try to read the location of the git directory from the .git file,
+ * return path to git directory if found.
+ */
+const char *read_gitfile_gently(const char *path)
+{
+	char *buf;
+	struct stat st;
+	int fd;
+	size_t len;
+
+	if (stat(path, &st))
+		return NULL;
+	if (!S_ISREG(st.st_mode))
+		return NULL;
+	fd = open(path, O_RDONLY);
+	if (fd < 0)
+		die("Error opening %s: %s", path, strerror(errno));
+	buf = xmalloc(st.st_size + 1);
+	len = read_in_full(fd, buf, st.st_size);
+	close(fd);
+	if (len != st.st_size)
+		die("Error reading %s", path);
+	buf[len] = '\0';
+	if (prefixcmp(buf, "gitdir: "))
+		die("Invalid gitfile format: %s", path);
+	while (buf[len - 1] == '\n' || buf[len - 1] == '\r')
+		len--;
+	if (len < 9)
+		die("No path in gitfile: %s", path);
+	buf[len] = '\0';
+	if (!is_git_directory(buf + 8))
+		die("Not a git repository: %s", buf + 8);
+	path = make_absolute_path(buf + 8);
+	free(buf);
+	return path;
+}
+
+/*
  * We cannot decide in this function whether we are in the work tree or
  * not, since the config can only be read _after_ this function was called.
  */
@@ -247,6 +285,7 @@ const char *setup_git_directory_gently(int *nongit_ok)
 	const char *work_tree_env = getenv(GIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT);
 	static char cwd[PATH_MAX+1];
 	const char *gitdirenv;
+	const char *gitfile_dir;
 	int len, offset;
 
 	/*
@@ -293,8 +332,10 @@ const char *setup_git_directory_gently(int *nongit_ok)
 
 	/*
 	 * Test in the following order (relative to the cwd):
+	 * - .git (file containing "gitdir: <path>")
 	 * - .git/
 	 * - ./ (bare)
+	 * - ../.git
 	 * - ../.git/
 	 * - ../ (bare)
 	 * - ../../.git/
@@ -302,6 +343,12 @@ const char *setup_git_directory_gently(int *nongit_ok)
 	 */
 	offset = len = strlen(cwd);
 	for (;;) {
+		gitfile_dir = read_gitfile_gently(DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
+		if (gitfile_dir) {
+			if (set_git_dir(gitfile_dir))
+				die("Repository setup failed");
+			break;
+		}
 		if (is_git_directory(DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT))
 			break;
 		if (is_git_directory(".")) {
diff --git a/t/t0002-gitfile.sh b/t/t0002-gitfile.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d280663
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t0002-gitfile.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='.git file
+
+Verify that plumbing commands work when .git is a file
+'
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+objpath() {
+    echo "$1" | sed -e 's|\(..\)|\1/|'
+}
+
+objck() {
+	p=$(objpath "$1")
+	if test ! -f "$REAL/objects/$p"
+	then
+		echo "Object not found: $REAL/objects/$p"
+		false
+	fi
+}
+
+test_expect_success 'setup' '
+	REAL="$(pwd)/.real" &&
+	mv .git "$REAL" &&
+	echo "gitdir: $REAL" >.git
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check rev-parse --git-dir' '
+	test "$REAL" = "$(git rev-parse --git-dir)"
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check hash-object' '
+	echo "foo" >bar &&
+	SHA=$(cat bar | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
+	objck $SHA
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check cat-file' '
+	git cat-file blob $SHA >actual &&
+	diff -u bar actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check update-index' '
+	if test -f "$REAL/index"
+	then
+		echo "Hmm, $REAL/index exists?"
+		false
+	fi &&
+	rm -f "$REAL/objects/$(objpath $SHA)" &&
+	git update-index --add bar &&
+	if ! test -f "$REAL/index"
+	then
+		echo "$REAL/index not found"
+		false
+	fi &&
+	objck $SHA
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check write-tree' '
+	SHA=$(git write-tree) &&
+	objck $SHA
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check commit-tree' '
+	SHA=$(echo "commit bar" | git commit-tree $SHA) &&
+	objck $SHA
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'check rev-list' '
+	echo $SHA >"$REAL/HEAD" &&
+	test "$SHA" = "$(git rev-list HEAD)"
+'
+
+test_done
-- 
1.5.4.1.188.g3ea1f5
Previous: Lars HjemliNext: Lars Hjemli
Message 3 of 18 in “Introduce the .gitfile”
  1. 0/5 Introduce the .gitfileLars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  2. 1/5 Simplify setup of $GIT_DIR in git-sh-setup.shLars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  3. 2/5 Add platform-independent .git "symlink"Lars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  4. 3/5 Teach resolve_gitlink_ref() about the .git fileLars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  5. 4/5 git-submodule: prepare for the .git-fileLars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  6. 5/5 Teach GIT-VERSION-GEN about the .git fileLars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  7. Johannes SchindelinFeb 18, 2008
  8. Lars HjemliFeb 18, 2008
  9. Jakub NarebskiFeb 18, 2008
  10. Johannes SchindelinFeb 18, 2008
  11. Lars HjemliFeb 18, 2008
  12. 2/5 Add platform-independent .git "symlink"Lars Hjemli, Feb 18, 2008
  13. Johannes SchindelinFeb 18, 2008
  14. Johannes SchindelinFeb 18, 2008
  15. Lars HjemliFeb 18, 2008
  16. Johannes SchindelinFeb 18, 2008
  17. Lars HjemliFeb 18, 2008
  18. Johannes SchindelinFeb 18, 2008

Read the whole thread, see it on lore, or plain text.

$ cat FOOTERMessages come from the public archive at lore.kernel.org/git, fetched every hour. The front page is chosen and written each morning by an AI editor and can be wrong; the threads themselves are the record. About and API. For agents: an MCP server at https://gitlist.dev/mcp, and any thread, story or person page as Markdown by adding .md to its URL (or sending Accept: text/markdown). Details in /llms.txt.