# [PATCHv2] Make filter-branch work with many branches

2 messages from 2011-07-20 to 2011-07-20. Participants: Dave Zarzycki, Johannes Sixt.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/27865

## Dave Zarzycki, 2011-07-20 13:42

Subject: [PATCHv2] Make filter-branch work with many branches
Message-ID: <CA809344-F7C2-4A41-B4F7-15B5EEB9B7E2@apple.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CA809344-F7C2-4A41-B4F7-15B5EEB9B7E2%40apple.com

```
When there are many branches, we can overflow the maximum number of
arguments to exec*().

Signed-off-by: Dave Zarzycki <zarzycki@apple.com>
---
 git-filter-branch.sh |    7 ++++---
 1 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/git-filter-branch.sh b/git-filter-branch.sh
index 962a93b..a93e582 100755
--- a/git-filter-branch.sh
+++ b/git-filter-branch.sh
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ else
 	remap_to_ancestor=t
 fi
 
-rev_args=$(git rev-parse --revs-only "$@")
+rev_parse_args="$@"
 
 case "$filter_subdir" in
 "")
@@ -286,8 +286,9 @@ case "$filter_subdir" in
 	;;
 esac
 
-git rev-list --reverse --topo-order --default HEAD \
-	--parents --simplify-merges $rev_args "$@" > ../revs ||
+git rev-parse --revs-only "$rev_parse_args" | git rev-list --stdin \
+	--reverse --topo-order --default HEAD	\
+	--parents --simplify-merges "$@" > ../revs ||
 	die "Could not get the commits"
 commits=$(wc -l <../revs | tr -d " ")
 
-- 
1.7.6.235.gfdb98

```

## Johannes Sixt, 2011-07-20 16:42

Subject: Re: [PATCHv2] Make filter-branch work with many branches
Message-ID: <4E270579.7060309@kdbg.org>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4E270579.7060309%40kdbg.org
In-Reply-To: <CA809344-F7C2-4A41-B4F7-15B5EEB9B7E2@apple.com>

```
Am 20.07.2011 15:42, schrieb Dave Zarzycki:
> -rev_args=$(git rev-parse --revs-only "$@")
> +rev_parse_args="$@"

This won't do what you expect when "$@" should expand to more than one
word.

I meant something like the following. Warning: Completely untested.

diff --git a/git-filter-branch.sh b/git-filter-branch.sh
index 962a93b..d0a933e 100755
--- a/git-filter-branch.sh
+++ b/git-filter-branch.sh
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ else
 	remap_to_ancestor=t
 fi
 
-rev_args=$(git rev-parse --revs-only "$@")
+git rev-parse --revs-only "$@" >../revargs || exit
 
 case "$filter_subdir" in
 "")
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ case "$filter_subdir" in
 esac
 
 git rev-list --reverse --topo-order --default HEAD \
-	--parents --simplify-merges $rev_args "$@" > ../revs ||
+	--parents --simplify-merges --stdin "$@" <../revargs >../revs ||
 	die "Could not get the commits"
 commits=$(wc -l <../revs | tr -d " ")
 

```