Re: Suggestion: Enhance git init with Language-Specific Templates

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Mar 5, 2025, 22:52 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqq1pvbks3i.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <Z8jTjt1CQ7hp8KSP@tapette.crustytoothpaste.net>

"brian m. carlson" <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net> writes:

Show 8 quoted lines

> What Git _does_ provide is a way to create a template of objects that
> should be in the `.git` directory using the `--template` option.  It's
> possible to create a template that contains an initial commit with a
> `.gitignore` file.  I personally would not recommend this approach,
> since it will not work gracefully with alternate ref formats or hash
> algorithms, but it is an option for people who want to use it.  This was
> in common use for setting up the default branch name before `git init`
> added the `-b` option and it's related config, so it is well tested.

I wouldn't have thrown objects in the --template directory, and I wouldn't count on things outside what the mechanism was invented for (namely, .git/hooks and possibly .git/info/ files) would forever be copied in newer versions of Git, but certainly "git init --template" mechanism sounds like a good escape hatch than mucking with Git code base to teach it myriad of languages and their dialects.

Thanks.