# git ls-tree -d doesn't work if the specified path is the repository root?

3 messages from 2017-09-25 to 2017-09-25. Participants: Roy Wellington, Santiago Torres, Jonathan Nieder.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/46830

## Roy Wellington, 2017-09-25 19:14

Subject: git ls-tree -d doesn't work if the specified path is the repository root?
Message-ID: <CAF5E6=pqGZt_BUDRDeN2uAQK7qBTeO+zcR8NsvSPg-rLjbsqdQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAF5E6%3DpqGZt_BUDRDeN2uAQK7qBTeO%2BzcR8NsvSPg-rLjbsqdQ%40mail.gmail.com

```
Hi,

When I run `git ls-tree -d HEAD -- subdir` from the root of my
repository, where `subdir` is a subdirectory in that root, I get the
treehash of that subdirectory. This is what I expect.

However, if I merely replace `subdir` with `.` (the root of the
repository), (i.e., `git ls-tree -d HEAD -- .`) git ls-tree returns
the treehashes of the /children/ of the root, instead of the root
itself, contrary to the documented behavior of -d.

Is there some reason for this? This behavior seems like a bug to me:
it means that prior to calling ls-tree I need to check if the
referenced path happens to be the root, and if so, find some other
means (rev-parse?) of converting it to a treehash.

Thanks,
—Roy

```

## Santiago Torres, 2017-09-25 19:22

Subject: Re: git ls-tree -d doesn't work if the specified path is the repository root?
Message-ID: <20170925192204.hmhgejhzsj6phqlg@LykOS.localdomain>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20170925192204.hmhgejhzsj6phqlg%40LykOS.localdomain
In-Reply-To: <CAF5E6=pqGZt_BUDRDeN2uAQK7qBTeO+zcR8NsvSPg-rLjbsqdQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
 
> Is there some reason for this? This behavior seems like a bug to me:
> it means that prior to calling ls-tree I need to check if the
> referenced path happens to be the root, and if so, find some other
> means (rev-parse?) of converting it to a treehash.

Hmm, interesting.

I see these four behaviors:

[santiago@LykOS bg_daemon]$ git ls-tree -d HEAD -- src
    040000 tree 238a62ca62527423fd3190d00917ddfef0d254a3    src

[santiago@LykOS bg_daemon]$ git ls-tree -d HEAD -- src/
    040000 tree 767beaaf0927f89e630c52830b6fbac138ec039a    src/bg_daemon

[santiago@LykOS bg_daemon]$ git ls-tree -d HEAD -- .
    040000 tree 238a62ca62527423fd3190d00917ddfef0d254a3    src
    040000 tree de12675d1023b1e743f7e11c2276fc417b3650a6    tests

[santiago@LykOS bg_daemon]$ git ls-tree -d HEAD -- ./
    040000 tree 238a62ca62527423fd3190d00917ddfef0d254a3    src
    040000 tree de12675d1023b1e743f7e11c2276fc417b3650a6    tests

IMHO, I think it'd be more consistent if . returned the root treehash and ./
returned the treehash of the directories in root.

I don't personally know if there is a reason for this...

Thanks,
-Santiago.

> 
> Thanks,
> —Roy

```

## Jonathan Nieder, 2017-09-25 22:25

Subject: Re: git ls-tree -d doesn't work if the specified path is the repository root?
Message-ID: <20170925222556.GH27425@aiede.mtv.corp.google.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20170925222556.GH27425%40aiede.mtv.corp.google.com
In-Reply-To: <CAF5E6=pqGZt_BUDRDeN2uAQK7qBTeO+zcR8NsvSPg-rLjbsqdQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
Hi,

Roy Wellington wrote:

> When I run `git ls-tree -d HEAD -- subdir` from the root of my
> repository, where `subdir` is a subdirectory in that root, I get the
> treehash of that subdirectory. This is what I expect.
>
> However, if I merely replace `subdir` with `.` (the root of the
> repository), (i.e., `git ls-tree -d HEAD -- .`) git ls-tree returns
> the treehashes of the /children/ of the root, instead of the root
> itself, contrary to the documented behavior of -d.

Can you be more specific?  What documentation led you to this
expectation?

I don't have a strong opinion about this behavior, but in any case if
the documentation and command disagree about the correct behavior then
one of them needs to be fixed. :)

> Is there some reason for this? This behavior seems like a bug to me:
> it means that prior to calling ls-tree I need to check if the
> referenced path happens to be the root, and if so, find some other
> means (rev-parse?) of converting it to a treehash.

Does

	git rev-parse HEAD:subdir

work better for what you're trying to accomplish?  To get the root of
the repository, you can use

	git rev-parse HEAD:

Thanks and hope that helps,
Jonathan

```