# Egit/Jgit support for relocated .git directories

4 messages from 2012-06-26 to 2012-07-07. Participants: Chris Packham, Shawn Pearce, Robin Rosenberg.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/30902

## Chris Packham, 2012-06-26 08:18

Subject: Egit/Jgit support for relocated .git directories
Message-ID: <4FE97057.3040609@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4FE97057.3040609%40gmail.com

```
Hi,

This is a bit of a secondhand bug report/query so sorry if the details
are a bit sketchy.

Since git 1.7.8:

``When populating a new submodule directory with "git submodule init",
the $GIT_DIR metainformation directory for submodules is created inside
$GIT_DIR/modules/<name>/ directory of the superproject and referenced
via the gitfile mechanism. This is to make it possible to switch
between commits in the superproject that has and does not have the
submodule in the tree without re-cloning.''

I've had several colleagues at work tell me that with the relocated
$GIT_DIR the Egit integration with eclipse doesn't work. I can't really
qualify "doesn't work" but from what I've been told importing the
project works but blaming/annotating doesn't.

I believe the gitfile mechanism isn't new but it possibly hasn't been
used by many Egit/Jgit users. Can anyone confirm if it is supported by
Egit/Jgit (and I'm barking up the wrong tree).

Thanks,
Chris

```

## Shawn Pearce, 2012-06-26 15:40

Subject: Re: Egit/Jgit support for relocated .git directories
Message-ID: <CAJo=hJubPwt8y4NhhctMag5Yr6cbYXZ4sORTB1=FkTjQZhEsTQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAJo%3DhJubPwt8y4NhhctMag5Yr6cbYXZ4sORTB1%3DFkTjQZhEsTQ%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <4FE97057.3040609@gmail.com>

```
On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 1:18 AM, Chris Packham <judge.packham@gmail.com> wrote:
> This is a bit of a secondhand bug report/query so sorry if the details
> are a bit sketchy.
>
> Since git 1.7.8:
>
> ``When populating a new submodule directory with "git submodule init",
> the $GIT_DIR metainformation directory for submodules is created inside
> $GIT_DIR/modules/<name>/ directory of the superproject and referenced
> via the gitfile mechanism. This is to make it possible to switch
> between commits in the superproject that has and does not have the
> submodule in the tree without re-cloning.''
>
> I've had several colleagues at work tell me that with the relocated
> $GIT_DIR the Egit integration with eclipse doesn't work. I can't really
> qualify "doesn't work" but from what I've been told importing the
> project works but blaming/annotating doesn't.
>
> I believe the gitfile mechanism isn't new but it possibly hasn't been
> used by many Egit/Jgit users. Can anyone confirm if it is supported by
> Egit/Jgit (and I'm barking up the wrong tree).

I am pretty certain we forgot to support gitfile in JGit. Hence this
doesn't work in EGit.

Whoops.

```

## Chris Packham, 2012-06-28 08:16

Subject: Re: Egit/Jgit support for relocated .git directories
Message-ID: <4FEC12CE.6030603@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4FEC12CE.6030603%40gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <CAJo=hJubPwt8y4NhhctMag5Yr6cbYXZ4sORTB1=FkTjQZhEsTQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
On 06/27/2012 03:40 AM, Shawn Pearce wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 1:18 AM, Chris Packham <judge.packham@gmail.com> wrote:
>> This is a bit of a secondhand bug report/query so sorry if the details
>> are a bit sketchy.
>>
>> Since git 1.7.8:
>>
>> ``When populating a new submodule directory with "git submodule init",
>> the $GIT_DIR metainformation directory for submodules is created inside
>> $GIT_DIR/modules/<name>/ directory of the superproject and referenced
>> via the gitfile mechanism. This is to make it possible to switch
>> between commits in the superproject that has and does not have the
>> submodule in the tree without re-cloning.''
>>
>> I've had several colleagues at work tell me that with the relocated
>> $GIT_DIR the Egit integration with eclipse doesn't work. I can't really
>> qualify "doesn't work" but from what I've been told importing the
>> project works but blaming/annotating doesn't.
>>
>> I believe the gitfile mechanism isn't new but it possibly hasn't been
>> used by many Egit/Jgit users. Can anyone confirm if it is supported by
>> Egit/Jgit (and I'm barking up the wrong tree).
> 
> I am pretty certain we forgot to support gitfile in JGit. Hence this
> doesn't work in EGit.
> 
> Whoops.

This[1] little snippet makes me think it wasn't entirely forgotten but
perhaps not finished or widely tested.

Alternatively as a workaround is there anyway of telling git to use old
the behaviour for git submodule init?

--
[1] -
http://git.eclipse.org/c/jgit/jgit.git/tree/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/BaseRepositoryBuilder.java#n93

```

## Robin Rosenberg, 2012-07-07 10:18

Subject: Re: Egit/Jgit support for relocated .git directories
Message-ID: <4FF80CE4.60303@dewire.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4FF80CE4.60303%40dewire.com
In-Reply-To: <4FE97057.3040609@gmail.com>

```
Chris Packham skrev 2012-06-26 10.18:
> Hi,
>
> This is a bit of a secondhand bug report/query so sorry if the details
> are a bit sketchy.
>
> Since git 1.7.8:
>
> ``When populating a new submodule directory with "git submodule init",
> the $GIT_DIR metainformation directory for submodules is created inside
> $GIT_DIR/modules/<name>/ directory of the superproject and referenced
> via the gitfile mechanism. This is to make it possible to switch
> between commits in the superproject that has and does not have the
> submodule in the tree without re-cloning.''
>
> I've had several colleagues at work tell me that with the relocated
> $GIT_DIR the Egit integration with eclipse doesn't work. I can't really
> qualify "doesn't work" but from what I've been told importing the
> project works but blaming/annotating doesn't.
>
> I believe the gitfile mechanism isn't new but it possibly hasn't been
> used by many Egit/Jgit users. Can anyone confirm if it is supported by
> Egit/Jgit (and I'm barking up the wrong tree).

It is supported. There is however a commit as late as in May that relates
to gitfile, so you may need 2.0.

-- robin

```
