# [BUG] GIT_INDEX environment variable ignored?

3 messages from 2015-10-08 to 2015-10-08. Participants: McAuley, Ben, Matthieu Moy, Michael J Gruber.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/40513

## McAuley, Ben, 2015-10-08 04:48

Subject: [BUG] GIT_INDEX environment variable ignored?
Message-ID: <3316005380861448B5340D39CF27A7242F2375BE@us-voo-mb04.internal.sungard.corp>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/3316005380861448B5340D39CF27A7242F2375BE%40us-voo-mb04.internal.sungard.corp

```
Hello,

I was trying to use multiple indexes earlier, and ran into an issue which I've summarised into a test case:

$ git init
$ touch file1 && git add file1 && git commit -m "file1"
$ git branch release 
$ touch file2 && git add file2 && git commit -m "file2"
$ cp .git/index .git/indexMaster
$ git checkout release
$ touch file3 && git add file3 && git commit -m "file3"

I then ran ls-files with the --stage option to look at what the index contains.
As expected file1 and file3 are present, we're on the 'release' branch still.

$ git ls-files --stage
100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file1
100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file3

However when I run the same command again, this time using the 
GIT_INDEX env variable to provide the index I previously saved on master,
I don't see file2 like I'd expect...

$ GIT_INDEX=.git/indexMaster git ls-files --stage
100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file1
100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file3

Is this something going wrong, or am I misunderstanding the role of the index/GIT_INDEX variable?

Replicated on 2.5.0.windows.1 and 2.6.1 (Linux).

Thanks,
Ben

```

## Matthieu Moy, 2015-10-08 07:28

Subject: Re: [BUG] GIT_INDEX environment variable ignored?
Message-ID: <vpqy4fd2500.fsf@grenoble-inp.fr>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpqy4fd2500.fsf%40grenoble-inp.fr
In-Reply-To: <3316005380861448B5340D39CF27A7242F2375BE@us-voo-mb04.internal.sungard.corp>

```
"McAuley, Ben" <Ben.McAuley@sungard.com> writes:

> However when I run the same command again, this time using the 
> GIT_INDEX env variable to provide the index I previously saved on master,
> I don't see file2 like I'd expect...

The variable name is GIT_INDEX_FILE (read 'man git' for details) ...

-- 
Matthieu Moy
http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/

```

## Michael J Gruber, 2015-10-08 07:56

Subject: Re: [BUG] GIT_INDEX environment variable ignored?
Message-ID: <561621A1.8090609@drmicha.warpmail.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/561621A1.8090609%40drmicha.warpmail.net
In-Reply-To: <3316005380861448B5340D39CF27A7242F2375BE@us-voo-mb04.internal.sungard.corp>

```
McAuley, Ben venit, vidit, dixit 08.10.2015 06:48:
> Hello,
> 
> I was trying to use multiple indexes earlier, and ran into an issue which I've summarised into a test case:
> 
> $ git init
> $ touch file1 && git add file1 && git commit -m "file1"
> $ git branch release 
> $ touch file2 && git add file2 && git commit -m "file2"
> $ cp .git/index .git/indexMaster
> $ git checkout release
> $ touch file3 && git add file3 && git commit -m "file3"
> 
> I then ran ls-files with the --stage option to look at what the index contains.
> As expected file1 and file3 are present, we're on the 'release' branch still.
> 
> $ git ls-files --stage
> 100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file1
> 100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file3
> 
> However when I run the same command again, this time using the 
> GIT_INDEX env variable to provide the index I previously saved on master,
> I don't see file2 like I'd expect...
> 
> $ GIT_INDEX=.git/indexMaster git ls-files --stage
> 100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file1
> 100644 e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391 0       file3
> 
> Is this something going wrong, or am I misunderstanding the role of the index/GIT_INDEX variable?
> 
> Replicated on 2.5.0.windows.1 and 2.6.1 (Linux).

Maybe try GIT_INDEX_FILE instead of GIT_INDEX? ;)

Michael

```