# fixing duplicated history

4 messages from 2008-11-12 to 2008-11-12. Participants: Felipe Balbi, Robin Rosenberg, Junio C Hamano.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/16293

## Felipe Balbi, 2008-11-12 22:23

Subject: fixing duplicated history
Message-ID: <20081112222346.GA24013@frodo>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20081112222346.GA24013%40frodo

```
Hi,

I have a git tree which history is completely messed up with duplicated
entries. By reading git man pages I saw that it might be possible to
delete those duplicated entries with git reflog delete, am I reading it
right ?

If so, would it cause any problems to the users who already cloned the
original tree ? I mean, will git see it as a different history line and
try a merge or will it figure it's the same tree with the duplicated
entries removed ?

Thanks in advance for the help

-- 
balbi

```

## Robin Rosenberg, 2008-11-12 22:52

Subject: Re: fixing duplicated history
Message-ID: <200811122352.57476.robin.rosenberg.lists@dewire.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/200811122352.57476.robin.rosenberg.lists%40dewire.com
In-Reply-To: <20081112222346.GA24013@frodo>

```
onsdag 12 november 2008 23:23:51 skrev Felipe Balbi:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a git tree which history is completely messed up with duplicated
> entries. By reading git man pages I saw that it might be possible to
> delete those duplicated entries with git reflog delete, am I reading it
> right ?
No. The reflog is not the history, except your very local log of what
the heads pointed to. You do not see the reflog unless you ask for it,
and nobody else can see it (i.e. *your* reflog).

What looks like duplicate entries may commit that have been cherry
picked into one or more branches that have been merged thereafter. If
you look carefully they have different id's.

-- robin

```

## Junio C Hamano, 2008-11-12 22:53

Subject: Re: fixing duplicated history
Message-ID: <7vod0klfng.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vod0klfng.fsf%40gitster.siamese.dyndns.org
In-Reply-To: <20081112222346.GA24013@frodo>

```
Felipe Balbi <me@felipebalbi.com> writes:

> I have a git tree which history is completely messed up with duplicated
> entries. By reading git man pages I saw that it might be possible to
> delete those duplicated entries with git reflog delete, am I reading it
> right ?
>
> If so, would it cause any problems to the users who already cloned the
> original tree ? I mean, will git see it as a different history line and
> try a merge or will it figure it's the same tree with the duplicated
> entries removed ?

I assume that you meant "commit" by "entry", and also I assume that you
read "git filter-branch" not "git reflog delete".  Then you are right.

And rewriting history with filter-branch will cause problems to the
downstream users.

```

## Felipe Balbi, 2008-11-12 22:57

Subject: Re: fixing duplicated history
Message-ID: <20081112225739.GB24013@frodo>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20081112225739.GB24013%40frodo
In-Reply-To: <7vod0klfng.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org>

```
On Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 02:53:55PM -0800, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> Felipe Balbi <me@felipebalbi.com> writes:
> 
> > I have a git tree which history is completely messed up with duplicated
> > entries. By reading git man pages I saw that it might be possible to
> > delete those duplicated entries with git reflog delete, am I reading it
> > right ?
> >
> > If so, would it cause any problems to the users who already cloned the
> > original tree ? I mean, will git see it as a different history line and
> > try a merge or will it figure it's the same tree with the duplicated
> > entries removed ?
> 
> I assume that you meant "commit" by "entry", and also I assume that you
> read "git filter-branch" not "git reflog delete".  Then you are right.
> 
> And rewriting history with filter-branch will cause problems to the
> downstream users.

Yes, you got me right. Hmm, so if it'll cause problems to the downstream
users I can't do anything, unfortunately :-(

Unless they wanna clone the tree again :-p

Thanks for the info Junio.

-- 
balbi

```