# when does git start caring about symlinks? 3 messages from 2010-11-23 to 2010-11-24. Participants: Neal Kreitzinger, Nguyen Thai Ngoc Duy. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/25826 ## Neal Kreitzinger, 2010-11-23 23:50 Subject: when does git start caring about symlinks? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/ichk2q%24bbu%241%40dough.gmane.org ``` I have a question on how symlinks work and at what point git starts caring about them. If dirA/repoA/.git has no symlinks and I copy it to dirB/repoB/.git (ie. cp -rp /dirA/repoA/.git /dirB/repoB/.git), but /dirB is a symlink to /x/dirB does that mean that repoB contains symlinks (I suspect that repoB may be made up of all symlinks at this point)? In other words, if I parallel test repoA and repoB am I running a true parallel test or are the repos different because repoA has no symlinks and repoB has symlinks? v/r, Neal ``` ## Nguyen Thai Ngoc Duy, 2010-11-24 14:55 Subject: Re: when does git start caring about symlinks? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/AANLkTi%3DO0pZ97kRt0jGfy20znfvfp3UTydTBn_aMBxE%2B%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 6:50 AM, Neal Kreitzinger wrote: > I have a question on how symlinks work and at what point git starts caring > about them.  If dirA/repoA/.git has no symlinks and I copy it to > dirB/repoB/.git (ie. cp -rp /dirA/repoA/.git /dirB/repoB/.git), but /dirB is > a symlink to /x/dirB does that mean that repoB contains symlinks (I suspect > that repoB may be made up of all symlinks at this point)?  In other words, > if I parallel test repoA and repoB am I running a true parallel test or are > the repos different because repoA has no symlinks and repoB has symlinks? There should be no difference between repoA and repoB until you make changes. Symlinks outside worktree do not matter. Symlinks inside .git dir may cause problems when you start updating repos. But I don't think recent git creates symlinks. There are other forms of symlinks in .git dir though: .git as a file that points to real .git dir, or .git/info/alternates comes to mind. -- Duy ``` ## Neal Kreitzinger, 2010-11-24 19:48 Subject: Re: when does git start caring about symlinks? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/icjq8q%24519%241%40dough.gmane.org In-Reply-To: ``` >"Nguyen Thai Ngoc Duy" wrote in message > >news:AANLkTi=O0pZ97kRt0jGfy20znfvfp3UTydTBn_aMBxE+@mail.gmail.com... >On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 6:50 AM, Neal Kreitzinger wrote: >> I have a question on how symlinks work and at what point git starts >> caring >> about them. If dirA/repoA/.git has no symlinks and I copy it to >> dirB/repoB/.git (ie. cp -rp /dirA/repoA/.git /dirB/repoB/.git), but /dirB >> is >> a symlink to /x/dirB does that mean that repoB contains symlinks (I >> suspect >> that repoB may be made up of all symlinks at this point)? In other words, >> if I parallel test repoA and repoB am I running a true parallel test or >> are >> the repos different because repoA has no symlinks and repoB has symlinks? > >There should be no difference between repoA and repoB until you make >changes. Symlinks outside worktree do not matter. Symlinks inside .git >dir may cause problems when you start updating repos. But I don't >think recent git creates symlinks. There are other forms of symlinks >in .git dir though: .git as a file that points to real .git dir, or >.git/info/alternates comes to mind. >-- >Duy Thank you for clarifying this for me. I see that I mistyped my copy command. It's actually "cp -rp /dirA/repoA /dirB/repoB", but you understood what I meant anyway when you stated "Symlinks outside worktree do not matter". :) v/r, Neal ```