# same files on different paths on different branches 3 messages from 2011-03-18 to 2011-03-18. Participants: Raul Dias, Carlos Martín Nieto. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/26767 ## Raul Dias, 2011-03-18 00:06 Subject: same files on different paths on different branches Message-ID: <4D82A1F4.4060801@dias.com.br> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4D82A1F4.4060801%40dias.com.br ``` Hi, I want to know if the following is possible to accomplish with git. (please reply to me too) A project is composed of many sub-modules (not in git sense). These sub-modules are developed independently of the main project. They need to be reattached to the projects' tree. The problems: 1 - a sub-module's tree does not have any projects file. 2 - when a sub-module is re-attached to the main project, its files are spread in many places (different from the the sub-module layout). Ideally the project would understand which files are the same, even on different places and apply the changes in the right files. This way a merge/cherry picking would keep the history information. Is it possible to accomplish something similar to this? I understand that this is not how a git super-project works. I don't think it is possible with different git repositories. I tried with a empty branch technique. Created an empty branch with no history. Started a sub-module (non git) there and tried to propagate the changes. Git almost did the right thing. A change in branch submodule's /foo/a.txt should have gone to branch master's /bar/foo/a.txt but instead it went to /bar/somethingelse/a.txt (which is the same as /bar/foo/a.txt) So is it possible to get closer to this with git in a way or another? Thanks -rsd ``` ## Carlos Martín Nieto, 2011-03-18 09:20 Subject: Re: same files on different paths on different branches Message-ID: <1300440036.4261.29.camel@bee.lab.cmartin.tk> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1300440036.4261.29.camel%40bee.lab.cmartin.tk In-Reply-To: <4D82A1F4.4060801@dias.com.br> ``` On jue, 2011-03-17 at 21:06 -0300, Raul Dias wrote: > Hi, > > I want to know if the following is possible to accomplish with git. > (please reply to me too) > > A project is composed of many sub-modules (not in git sense). > These sub-modules are developed independently of the main project. > They need to be reattached to the projects' tree. > > The problems: > 1 - a sub-module's tree does not have any projects file. > 2 - when a sub-module is re-attached to the main project, its files > are spread in many places (different from the the sub-module layout). > > > Ideally the project would understand which files are the same, even on > different places and apply the changes in the right files. > This way a merge/cherry picking would keep the history information. > > Is it possible to accomplish something similar to this? > I understand that this is not how a git super-project works. > I don't think it is possible with different git repositories. > > I tried with a empty branch technique. > Created an empty branch with no history. > Started a sub-module (non git) there and tried to propagate the changes. > Git almost did the right thing. > A change in branch submodule's > /foo/a.txt > should have gone to branch master's > /bar/foo/a.txt > but instead it went to > /bar/somethingelse/a.txt (which is the same as /bar/foo/a.txt) If the problem you are seeing here is that git reports the physical path instead of the logical one (compare `pwd -P` and `pwd -l`), then it shouldn't really represent a problem, as the data is being written in the right places. > So is it possible to get closer to this with git in a way or another? git uses almost exclusively physical paths internally, which is why the user sees them. For example, this also happens: carlos@bee:~/apps$ mkdir one carlos@bee:~/apps$ ln -s one two carlos@bee:~/apps$ ln -s two three carlos@bee:~/apps$ cd three carlos@bee:~/apps/three$ git init Initialized empty Git repository in /home/carlos/apps/one/.git/ Notice how git is reporting the "right" path. Is this the effect you're seeing? Above it's not clear whether you're using symlinks in your file system or why /bar/somethingelse/a.txt is the same as /foo/a.txt. cmn ``` ## Raul Dias, 2011-03-18 13:12 Subject: Re: same files on different paths on different branches Message-ID: <4D835A45.4070902@dias.com.br> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4D835A45.4070902%40dias.com.br In-Reply-To: <1300440036.4261.29.camel@bee.lab.cmartin.tk> ``` On 03/18/2011 06:20 AM, Carlos Martín Nieto wrote: > On jue, 2011-03-17 at 21:06 -0300, Raul Dias wrote: >> Hi, >> >> I want to know if the following is possible to accomplish with git. >> (please reply to me too) >> >> A project is composed of many sub-modules (not in git sense). >> These sub-modules are developed independently of the main project. >> They need to be reattached to the projects' tree. >> >> The problems: >> 1 - a sub-module's tree does not have any projects file. >> 2 - when a sub-module is re-attached to the main project, its files >> are spread in many places (different from the the sub-module layout). >> >> >> Ideally the project would understand which files are the same, even on >> different places and apply the changes in the right files. >> This way a merge/cherry picking would keep the history information. >> >> Is it possible to accomplish something similar to this? >> I understand that this is not how a git super-project works. >> I don't think it is possible with different git repositories. >> >> I tried with a empty branch technique. >> Created an empty branch with no history. >> Started a sub-module (non git) there and tried to propagate the changes. >> Git almost did the right thing. >> A change in branch submodule's >> /foo/a.txt >> should have gone to branch master's >> /bar/foo/a.txt >> but instead it went to >> /bar/somethingelse/a.txt (which is the same as /bar/foo/a.txt) > If the problem you are seeing here is that git reports the physical > path instead of the logical one (compare `pwd -P` and `pwd -l`), then it > shouldn't really represent a problem, as the data is being written in > the right places. > >> So is it possible to get closer to this with git in a way or another? > git uses almost exclusively physical paths internally, which is why the > user sees them. For example, this also happens: > > carlos@bee:~/apps$ mkdir one > carlos@bee:~/apps$ ln -s one two > carlos@bee:~/apps$ ln -s two three > carlos@bee:~/apps$ cd three > carlos@bee:~/apps/three$ git init > Initialized empty Git repository in /home/carlos/apps/one/.git/ > > Notice how git is reporting the "right" path. > > Is this the effect you're seeing? Above it's not clear whether you're > using symlinks in your file system or why /bar/somethingelse/a.txt is > the same as /foo/a.txt. No they are completely different files that happened to have the same content at that point. -rsd ```