# CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers

6 messages from 2008-01-24 to 2008-01-24. Participants: Robert Haines, David Kastrup, Jeff King.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/11719

## Robert Haines, 2008-01-24 15:12

Subject: CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers
Message-ID: <1424F1B0-7342-4436-9B4A-72D985DDA161@manchester.ac.uk>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1424F1B0-7342-4436-9B4A-72D985DDA161%40manchester.ac.uk

```
Hi all,

I am very new to git, but already impressed! I am in the process of  
converting my old CVS repos into git. So far so good, it all works  
with 'git cvsimport' but I was wondering about the author and  
committer names. All mine have come out as the username of the person  
who committed the change into CVS:

author xxcguxx <xxcguxx>
committer xxcguxx <xxcguxx>

I was wondering if it would be able to go through and change all that  
to:

author Name <email@address>
etc

Is this something that can be retrospectively done? Is it something  
that can be done during cvsimport? Is it even doable?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Best wishes,
Rob

--
Robert Haines

Research Associate, RealityGrid          Tel. : +44 (0)161 275 6067
Research Computing Services              Fax. : +44 (0)161 275 0637
Kilburn Building                         Email: rhaines@manchester.ac.uk
University of Manchester                 Web  : www.realitygrid.org
Manchester, M13 9PL, UK                       : www.rcs.manchester.ac.uk

```

## David Kastrup, 2008-01-24 15:42

Subject: Re: CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers
Message-ID: <86r6g7dyco.fsf@lola.quinscape.zz>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/86r6g7dyco.fsf%40lola.quinscape.zz
In-Reply-To: <1424F1B0-7342-4436-9B4A-72D985DDA161@manchester.ac.uk>

```
Robert Haines <rhaines@manchester.ac.uk> writes:

> Hi all,
>
> I am very new to git, but already impressed! I am in the process of
> converting my old CVS repos into git. So far so good, it all works
> with 'git cvsimport' but I was wondering about the author and
> committer names. All mine have come out as the username of the person
> who committed the change into CVS:
>
> author xxcguxx <xxcguxx>
> committer xxcguxx <xxcguxx>
>
> I was wondering if it would be able to go through and change all that
> to:
>
> author Name <email@address>
> etc
>
> Is this something that can be retrospectively done? Is it something
> that can be done during cvsimport? Is it even doable?
>
> Any suggestions gratefully received!

If everything else fails, read the documentation.

man git-cvsimport

[...]
	-A <author-conv-file>
	    CVS by default uses the Unix username when writing its
	    commit logs. Using this option and an author-conv-file
	    in this format

[...]

-- 
David Kastrup

```

## Robert Haines, 2008-01-24 15:55

Subject: Re: CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers
Message-ID: <CEE9B3CD-781F-4BDF-85DA-BA9C32FC1429@manchester.ac.uk>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CEE9B3CD-781F-4BDF-85DA-BA9C32FC1429%40manchester.ac.uk
In-Reply-To: <86r6g7dyco.fsf@lola.quinscape.zz>

```
>> Any suggestions gratefully received!
>
> If everything else fails, read the documentation.

Oh man, I thought I had... Sorry for wasting your time. Boy is my  
face red...

Cheers,
Rob

```

## David Kastrup, 2008-01-24 16:02

Subject: Re: CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers
Message-ID: <86ejc7dxee.fsf@lola.quinscape.zz>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/86ejc7dxee.fsf%40lola.quinscape.zz
In-Reply-To: <CEE9B3CD-781F-4BDF-85DA-BA9C32FC1429@manchester.ac.uk>

```
Robert Haines <rhaines@manchester.ac.uk> writes:

>>> Any suggestions gratefully received!
>>
>> If everything else fails, read the documentation.
>
> Oh man [...]

Yes, that.

-- 
David Kastrup

```

## Jeff King, 2008-01-24 16:37

Subject: Re: CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers
Message-ID: <20080124163719.GA17283@coredump.intra.peff.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20080124163719.GA17283%40coredump.intra.peff.net
In-Reply-To: <1424F1B0-7342-4436-9B4A-72D985DDA161@manchester.ac.uk>

```
On Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 03:12:08PM +0000, Robert Haines wrote:

> I was wondering if it would be able to go through and change all that to:
>
> author Name <email@address>
> etc
>
> Is this something that can be retrospectively done? Is it something that 
> can be done during cvsimport? Is it even doable?

David already answered the second question, and it is probably simpler
to just redo the import with -A unless there is some complication with
that (like you no longer have access to the CVS files).

However, to answer your first question: it can be fixed after the fact
by rewriting history within the git repository; see git-filter-branch.

-Peff

```

## Robert Haines, 2008-01-24 17:12

Subject: Re: CVS import: Changing/cleaning authors and committers
Message-ID: <259E26A1-C9A9-4A92-BB54-77B43AC9E590@manchester.ac.uk>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/259E26A1-C9A9-4A92-BB54-77B43AC9E590%40manchester.ac.uk
In-Reply-To: <20080124163719.GA17283@coredump.intra.peff.net>

```

On 24 Jan 2008, at 16:37, Jeff King wrote:

> On Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 03:12:08PM +0000, Robert Haines wrote:
>
>> I was wondering if it would be able to go through and change all  
>> that to:
>>
>> author Name <email@address>
>> etc
>>
>> Is this something that can be retrospectively done? Is it  
>> something that
>> can be done during cvsimport? Is it even doable?
>
> David already answered the second question, and it is probably simpler
> to just redo the import with -A unless there is some complication with
> that (like you no longer have access to the CVS files).
>
> However, to answer your first question: it can be fixed after the fact
> by rewriting history within the git repository; see git-filter-branch.

So ideally I would have spotted the -A flag originally! I have had  
something of an information overload with git, gitweb and so on  
recently.

I decided to re-import with the -A flag as there is (much) less  
chance of me mucking it up!

Thanks,
Rob

```