# [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree 12 messages from 2011-02-05 to 2011-05-23. Participants: redstun, Mike Gant, Jonathan Nieder, Jared Hance, Konstantin Khomoutov, Nicolas Sebrecht, Michael Witten. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/26414 ## redstun, 2011-02-05 02:53 Subject: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/AANLkTik4MjnpOzPdGy7ZDiH0in4e1DpjrhQFOHjUiEEE%40mail.gmail.com ``` First please shout if this is a known feature :-) I think separating the .git directory from its working tree could increase the safety of the data to one more level higher. We might have a git variable set to specify (a shared place) where to put the .git directories (or the data inside it), then use "/path/to/working/tree" as (or the seed to calculate) a hash key to map from the (.git directory in the) shared place to the working tree directory. Or we may have just a few data (that can be re-created) stored in the .git directory along with the working tree, and most of the revision history stored in the shared place. ``` ## Mike Gant, 2011-02-05 03:23 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110205032339.GA15303@mg1> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110205032339.GA15303%40mg1 In-Reply-To: ``` On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 10:53:58AM +0800, redstun wrote: > First please shout if this is a known feature :-) > > I think separating the .git directory from its working tree could > increase the safety of the data to one more level higher. > > We might have a git variable set to specify (a shared place) where to > put the .git directories (or the data inside it), then use > "/path/to/working/tree" as (or the seed to calculate) a hash key to > map from the (.git directory in the) shared place to the working tree > directory. > > Or we may have just a few data (that can be re-created) stored in the > .git directory along with the working tree, and most of the revision > history stored in the shared place. GIT_DIR and GIT_WORK_TREE might be what you are looking for. Explanation of usage in 'man git' HTH Mike > -- > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html ``` ## Jonathan Nieder, 2011-02-05 13:27 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110205132708.GA18391@elie> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110205132708.GA18391%40elie In-Reply-To: <20110205032339.GA15303@mg1> ``` (restoring cc list; please do not cull cc's) Mike Gant wrote: > On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 10:53:58AM +0800, redstun wrote: >> I think separating the .git directory from its working tree could >> increase the safety of the data to one more level higher. [...] > GIT_DIR and GIT_WORK_TREE might be what you are looking for. Explanation > of usage in 'man git' The .git directory is allowed to be a symlink. Or a file like so gitdir: /path/to/git/repo for symlink-challenged operating systems. See gitrepository-layout(7) for details. Cheers, Jonathan ``` ## redstun, 2011-02-05 14:24 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/AANLkTinYMuXSvKjgtpSCbJPuo%3DPHDGR_OgOkwtV4Azmz%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <20110205132708.GA18391@elie> ``` Making .git a symbol link is nice. Regarding the GIT_DIR variable, looks like it needs to be paired with the GIT_WORK_TREE variable, does this mean that I can only have one local git repository? what I wanted is, I may have multiple git working tree in my $HOME, like: $HOME/proj1 $HOME/proj2, I then wanted their .git directories respectively located at /safe/disk/.git_proj1 /safe/disk/.git_proj2 How can I get this? I tried to read the doc but didn't have much luck. Thanks On Sat, Feb 5, 2011 at 9:27 PM, Jonathan Nieder wrote: > (restoring cc list; please do not cull cc's) > > Mike Gant wrote: >> On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 10:53:58AM +0800, redstun wrote: > >>> I think separating the .git directory from its working tree could >>> increase the safety of the data to one more level higher. > [...] >> GIT_DIR and GIT_WORK_TREE might be what you are looking for. Explanation >> of usage in 'man git' > > The .git directory is allowed to be a symlink.  Or a file like so > >        gitdir: /path/to/git/repo > > for symlink-challenged operating systems.  See gitrepository-layout(7) > for details. > > Cheers, > Jonathan > ``` ## Jonathan Nieder, 2011-02-05 18:04 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110205180425.GA18961@elie> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110205180425.GA18961%40elie In-Reply-To: ``` redstun wrote: > what I wanted is, I may have multiple git working tree in my $HOME, like: > $HOME/proj1 > $HOME/proj2, > > I then wanted their .git directories respectively located at > /safe/disk/.git_proj1 > /safe/disk/.git_proj2 > > How can I get this? I tried to read the doc but didn't have much luck. By making .git in $HOME/proj1 a symlink to /safe/disk/.git_proj1 and making $HOME/proj2/.git a symlink to /safe/disk/.git_proj2. GIT_DIR should be left unset for this to work. The GIT_DIR variable is for more complicated use cases in which you do not want a .git directory, file, or symlink in the worktree at all. One uses it as follows: GIT_DIR=/somewhere/else/.git git ... The top level of the work tree is inferred to be the current working directory and git metadata is taken from somewhere else. Sometimes a person does not only want to work in the top level of the working tree. To tell git where the top level is, use the GIT_WORK_TREE variable: ( GIT_DIR=/somewhere/else/.git; export GIT_DIR GIT_WORK_TREE=$(pwd); export GIT_WORK_TREE cd sub/directory git ... cd ../other/directory git ... ) These are not variables for your .profile, since as you mentioned, a person typically will work with one git repo and worktree sometimes, another git repo and work tree another time. Hope that helps, Jonathan Side note: I don't think you mentioned wanting it, but for reference, there is a nice tool for sharing objects between multiple worktrees in contrib/worktree. It comes with some sharp edges, as described in [1]. [1] http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/150559 ``` ## Mike Gant, 2011-02-06 00:20 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110206002009.GA13594@mg1> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110206002009.GA13594%40mg1 In-Reply-To: <20110205132708.GA18391@elie> ``` On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 07:27:08AM -0600, Jonathan Nieder wrote: > (restoring cc list; please do not cull cc's) My apologies, but I didn't see a cc list in the original. Please explain. -Mike ``` ## Mike Gant, 2011-02-06 00:40 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110206004013.GB13594@mg1> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110206004013.GB13594%40mg1 In-Reply-To: <20110206002009.GA13594@mg1> ``` On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 05:20:09PM -0700, Mike Gant wrote: > On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 07:27:08AM -0600, Jonathan Nieder wrote: > > (restoring cc list; please do not cull cc's) > > My apologies, but I didn't see a cc list in the original. Please > explain. > > -Mike Never mind, I think I understand. So does anyone use Mutt? And do they know a recipe to move the sender address to the cc list? If not, I'll figure it out. Thanks, -Mike ``` ## Jared Hance, 2011-02-06 01:00 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <1296954015.4048.0.camel@localhost.localdomain> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1296954015.4048.0.camel%40localhost.localdomain In-Reply-To: <20110206004013.GB13594@mg1> ``` On Sat, 2011-02-05 at 17:40 -0700, Mike Gant wrote: > On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 05:20:09PM -0700, Mike Gant wrote: > > On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 07:27:08AM -0600, Jonathan Nieder wrote: > > > (restoring cc list; please do not cull cc's) > > > > My apologies, but I didn't see a cc list in the original. Please > > explain. > > > > -Mike > > Never mind, I think I understand. > > So does anyone use Mutt? And do they know a recipe to move the sender > address to the cc list? If not, I'll figure it out. > > Thanks, > -Mike > -- > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html When I used Mutt, if I remember correctly, L did the job (list reply). ``` ## Konstantin Khomoutov, 2011-02-06 10:49 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110206104952.GD20056@localhost.localdomain> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110206104952.GD20056%40localhost.localdomain In-Reply-To: <1296954015.4048.0.camel@localhost.localdomain> ``` On Sat, Feb 05, 2011 at 08:00:15PM -0500, Jared Hance wrote: > > > My apologies, but I didn't see a cc list in the original. Please > > > explain. > > Never mind, I think I understand. > > So does anyone use Mutt? And do they know a recipe to move the sender > > address to the cc list? If not, I'll figure it out. > When I used Mutt, if I remember correctly, L did the job (list reply). Also "g" is "group reply" -- it simply replies to all e-mails mentioned in the mail which is being replied to. ``` ## Nicolas Sebrecht, 2011-02-06 10:55 Subject: [idea] Re: separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110206105510.GA14195@vidovic> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110206105510.GA14195%40vidovic In-Reply-To: <20110206004013.GB13594@mg1> ``` The 05/02/11, Mike Gant wrote: > So does anyone use Mutt? And do they know a recipe to move the sender > address to the cc list? If not, I'll figure it out. g (group answer). -- Nicolas Sebrecht ``` ## Mike Gant, 2011-02-07 04:57 Subject: Re: [idea] Re: separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: <20110207045757.GC13594@mg1> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20110207045757.GC13594%40mg1 In-Reply-To: <20110206105510.GA14195@vidovic> ``` On Sun, Feb 06, 2011 at 11:55:10AM +0100, Nicolas Sebrecht wrote: > The 05/02/11, Mike Gant wrote: > > > So does anyone use Mutt? And do they know a recipe to move the sender > > address to the cc list? If not, I'll figure it out. > > g (group answer). > Thanks. I knew about L (list reply) and g (group reply). L only replies to the list address, git@vger.kernel.org, in this case. Certainly, g is the closest behavior as long as it is acceptable to have the sender name in the To: header along with the list address (as in this response). On the other hand, if it is only acceptable to have the list address in the To: header and all others in the cc list then I don't know of any command to do that. -Mike ``` ## Michael Witten, 2011-05-23 14:40 Subject: Re: [idea] separate .git dir and the working tree Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/BANLkTinL_y8oAW2kQdyP-%2BCmdmrRWOrEsA%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <20110206004013.GB13594@mg1> ``` On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 00:40, Mike Gant wrote: > So does anyone use Mutt? And do they know a recipe to move the sender > address to the cc list? If not, I'll figure it out. Your `To:' header should list the sender (usually what's listed in the `From:' header); the `Cc:' header should list everything else (including the mailing list(s) in question). ```