From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 06:29:24 GMT
Subject: Re: Applying patches in a directory that isn't a repository
Message-ID: <7v3b0bi88r.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.pobox.com>
In-Reply-To: <93c3eada0706282307i7a22bd27w6ca10839d36ea4eb@mail.gmail.com>

"Geoff Russell" <geoffrey.russell@gmail.com> writes:

> But "git am" needs (AFAIK) a full repository. Is there a way to apply
> a patch without
> .git being present?

If the recipient does not have a git repository, there is no
point using "git am", as it is about making commits out of
e-mails.

git-apply acts as a plain "patch applicator".

Another possibility is to use "GNU patch", with -p1.  That
historically has been how the patches were applied, and the
output from git-diff is designed to be very compatible with it,
unless you choose to use more advanced features that "GNU patch"
does not support yet (notably, renames, mode changes, and binary
diffs).