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

[PATCH v3 07/10] t1006: accommodate for symlink support in MSYS2

From
Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Date
Dec 16, 2025, 11:46 UTC
Message-ID
<c2d3212f11ada7a0cae66812938b3d88a186a4ed.1765885577.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<pull.2009.v3.git.1765885577.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
From: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>

The MSYS2 runtime (which inherits this trait from the Cygwin runtime, and which is used by Git for Windows' Bash to emulate POSIX functionality on Windows, the same Bash that is also used to run Git's test suite on Windows) has a mode where it can create native symbolic links on Windows.

Naturally, this is a bit of a strange feature, given that Cygwin goes out of its way to support Unix-like paths even if no Win32 program understands those, and the symbolic links have to use Win32 paths instead (which Win32 programs understand very well).

As a consequence, the symbolic link targets get normalized before the links are created.

This results in certain quirks that Git's test suite is ill equipped to accommodate (because Git's test suite expects to be able to use Unix-like paths even on Windows).

The test script t1006-cat-file.sh contains two prime examples, two test cases that need to skip a couple assertions because they are simply wrong in the context of Git for Windows.

Signed-off-by: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
---
 t/t1006-cat-file.sh | 24 +++++++++++++++++-------
 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/t/t1006-cat-file.sh b/t/t1006-cat-file.sh
index 1f61b666a7..0eee3bb878 100755
--- a/t/t1006-cat-file.sh
+++ b/t/t1006-cat-file.sh
@@ -1048,18 +1048,28 @@ test_expect_success 'git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks works for out-
 	echo .. >>expect &&
 	echo HEAD:dir/subdir/out-of-repo-link-dir | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual &&
-	echo symlink 3 >expect &&
-	echo ../ >>expect &&
+	if test_have_prereq MINGW,SYMLINKS
+	then
+		test_write_lines "symlink 2" ..
+	else
+		test_write_lines "symlink 3" ../
+	fi >expect &&
 	echo HEAD:dir/subdir/out-of-repo-link-dir-trailing | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks works for symlinks with internal ..' '
-	echo HEAD: | git cat-file --batch-check >expect &&
-	echo HEAD:up-down | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
-	test_cmp expect actual &&
-	echo HEAD:up-down-trailing | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
-	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	if test_have_prereq !MINGW
+	then
+		# The `up-down` and `up-down-trailing` symlinks are normalized
+		# in MSYS in `winsymlinks` mode and are therefore in a
+		# different shape than Git expects them.
+		echo HEAD: | git cat-file --batch-check >expect &&
+		echo HEAD:up-down | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
+		test_cmp expect actual &&
+		echo HEAD:up-down-trailing | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
+		test_cmp expect actual
+	fi &&
 	echo HEAD:up-down-file | git cat-file --batch-check --follow-symlinks >actual &&
 	test_cmp found actual &&
 	echo symlink 7 >expect &&
-- 
gitgitgadget
Previous: Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadgetNext: Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget
Message 50 of 68 in “Prepare Git's test suite for symbolic link support on Windows”
  1. 00/10 Prepare Git's test suite for symbolic link support on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  2. 01/10 t9700: accommodate for Windows pathsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  3. 02/10 apply: symbolic links lack a "trustable executable bit"Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  4. 03/10 mingw: special-case `open(symlink, O_CREAT | O_EXCL)`Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  5. Junio C HamanoNov 30, 2025
  6. Johannes SchindelinDec 1, 2025
  7. Junio C HamanoDec 6, 2025
  8. 04/10 t0001: handle `diff --no-index` gracefullyJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  9. Junio C HamanoNov 30, 2025
  10. Johannes SchindelinDec 1, 2025
  11. Junio C HamanoDec 2, 2025
  12. 05/10 t0301: another fix for Windows compatibilityJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  13. Junio C HamanoNov 30, 2025
  14. Johannes SchindelinDec 1, 2025
  15. Junio C HamanoDec 2, 2025
  16. Johannes SchindelinDec 2, 2025
  17. Junio C HamanoDec 6, 2025
  18. 06/10 t0600: fix incomplete prerequisite for a test caseJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  19. Patrick SteinhardtDec 1, 2025
  20. Johannes SchindelinDec 1, 2025
  21. 07/10 t1006: accommodate for symlink support in MSYS2Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  22. Patrick SteinhardtDec 1, 2025
  23. Johannes SchindelinDec 1, 2025
  24. Patrick SteinhardtDec 1, 2025
  25. 08/10 t1305: skip symlink tests that do not apply to WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  26. 09/10 t6423: introduce Windows-specific handling for symlinking to /dev/nullJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  27. 10/10 t7800: work around the MSYS path conversion on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Nov 29, 2025
  28. Junio C HamanoNov 30, 2025
  29. Eric SunshineNov 30, 2025
  30. Johannes SchindelinDec 1, 2025
  31. 00/10 Prepare Git's test suite for symbolic link support on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  32. 02/10 apply: symbolic links lack a "trustable executable bit"Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  33. 01/10 t9700: accommodate for Windows pathsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  34. 03/10 mingw: special-case `open(symlink, O_CREAT | O_EXCL)`Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  35. 04/10 t0001: handle `diff --no-index` gracefullyJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  36. 05/10 t0301: another fix for Windows compatibilityJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  37. 06/10 t0600: fix incomplete prerequisite for a test caseJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  38. 07/10 t1006: accommodate for symlink support in MSYS2Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  39. 08/10 t1305: skip symlink tests that do not apply to WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  40. 09/10 t6423: introduce Windows-specific handling for symlinking to /dev/nullJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  41. 10/10 t7800: work around the MSYS path conversion on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 5, 2025
  42. Patrick SteinhardtDec 9, 2025
  43. Junio C HamanoDec 9, 2025
  44. 00/10 Prepare Git's test suite for symbolic link support on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  45. 01/10 t9700: accommodate for Windows pathsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  46. 02/10 apply: symbolic links lack a "trustable executable bit"Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  47. 03/10 mingw: special-case `open(symlink, O_CREAT | O_EXCL)`Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  48. 04/10 t0001: handle `diff --no-index` gracefullyJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  49. 05/10 t0301: another fix for Windows compatibilityJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  50. 07/10 t1006: accommodate for symlink support in MSYS2Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  51. 08/10 t1305: skip symlink tests that do not apply to WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  52. 09/10 t6423: introduce Windows-specific handling for symlinking to /dev/nullJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  53. 10/10 t7800: work around the MSYS path conversion on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 16, 2025
  54. Junio C HamanoDec 16, 2025
  55. Johannes SchindelinDec 16, 2025
  56. Junio C HamanoDec 17, 2025
  57. 00/10 Prepare Git's test suite for symbolic link support on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  58. 01/10 t9700: accommodate for Windows pathsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  59. 02/10 apply: symbolic links lack a "trustable executable bit"Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  60. 03/10 mingw: special-case `open(symlink, O_CREAT | O_EXCL)`Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  61. 04/10 t0001: handle `diff --no-index` gracefullyJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  62. 05/10 t0301: another fix for Windows compatibilityJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  63. 06/10 t0600: fix incomplete prerequisite for a test caseJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  64. 07/10 t1006: accommodate for symlink support in MSYS2Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  65. 08/10 t1305: skip symlink tests that do not apply to WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  66. 09/10 t6423: introduce Windows-specific handling for symlinking to /dev/nullJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  67. 10/10 t7800: work around the MSYS path conversion on WindowsJohannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget, Dec 17, 2025
  68. Junio C HamanoDec 17, 2025

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.