From: Tomas Carnecky <tom@dbservice.com>
Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:15:37 GMT
Subject: Re: More help with "pull" please
Message-ID: <4659A860-4AF5-4E34-B38E-60C926E2BAE1@dbservice.com>
In-Reply-To: <450196A1AAAE4B42A00A8B27A59278E70A7D4D9A@EXCHANGE.trad.tradestation.com>


On Apr 1, 2009, at 9:28 PM, John Dlugosz wrote:

> I've actually given up on using "git pull" at all, preferring to fetch
> first, examine in gitk, and then decide whether to merge or whatever.
>
> The problem I have is that it seems to always want to merge  
> "something"
> with the current checked-out branch.  It always throws the remote HEAD
> into the mix, or if fetch lines are set up in the configuration file,
> takes the first thing on there regardless of which branch I'm  
> currently
> checked out.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I just re-read the man page,  
> forward
> and backwards, and am more bewildered than ever.

When you create a branch, you can tell git which remote branch it  
tracks, like this:

$ git branch --track mynext origin/next

So whenever you are on brach 'mynext' and do a git-pull, it will fetch  
and merge origin/next.

You can do the same with the git-checkout command:

$ git checkout --track origin/next

This will create a local branch 'next' which tracks 'origin/next'

> Anyway, I want to help out a co-worker who has a more specialized
> situation that may be right for a pull.  Also, I'll talk him through
> cloning the remote from the beginning, so the config files won't be  
> all
> strange or not setup from the previous users.
>
> The only remaining issue is the remote in question:  it is not a bare
> repository, and may be in use locally as well, at least for  
> maintenance.
> So I can't trust its HEAD to be anything reasonable at any given time.
>
> This person wants to track a remote branch tip.  When that advances or
> otherwise changes on the remote, update the working tree to match.  It
> will always use the same branch, let's call it ReleaseCandidate for  
> this
> discussion.
>
> My question is:  What is the easiest way to create this local  
> repository
> and operate it so that he can just keep it following that branch on  
> the
> remote?

$ git clone $url XXX
$ cd XXX
$ git checkout --trach origin/ReleaseCandidate
...
$ git pull # will automatically fetch and merge origin/ReleaseCandidate

tom