# Getting path to a file from arbitrary project directory 5 messages from 2023-06-23 to 2023-06-23. Participants: Konstantin Kharlamov, SZEDER Gábor, Junio C Hamano. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/59902 ## Konstantin Kharlamov, 2023-06-23 08:52 Subject: Getting path to a file from arbitrary project directory Message-ID: <21c8396c1441dd4f74cd2097ac970a2033b81da4.camel@yandex.ru> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/21c8396c1441dd4f74cd2097ac970a2033b81da4.camel%40yandex.ru ``` (please keep me CC'ed, I'm not subscribed) Hello! I'm trying to solve a simple problem: while I am inside an arbitrary project directory, I want to get a path to a file `filename.c` located elsewhere in the same project.¹ One way to implement that is with a command chain: cd $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) && git ls-files --full-name -- "*filename.c" But it is pretty clunky, because that requires you to modify state (changing current directory). It may not matter though, but I'm just wondering if there's a better way to do that, something like `git ls-files --top -- …`, or anything like that? Haven't found nothing similar in `man git-ls-files`. As a separate note, this doesn't work: ls-files --full-name -- $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"*filename.c" 1: the usecase is I have a Emacs helper function to pick up a an aribtrarily mangled path to a file in the project from the primary clipboard and open that file. It's often "mangled", because gdb prints it with `../`, then logs print no path whatsoever, just a filename… So it's generally useful to have. ``` ## SZEDER Gábor, 2023-06-23 09:45 Subject: Re: Getting path to a file from arbitrary project directory Message-ID: <20230623094525.GA4204@szeder.dev> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20230623094525.GA4204%40szeder.dev In-Reply-To: <21c8396c1441dd4f74cd2097ac970a2033b81da4.camel@yandex.ru> ``` On Fri, Jun 23, 2023 at 11:52:58AM +0300, Konstantin Kharlamov wrote: > (please keep me CC'ed, I'm not subscribed) > > Hello! I'm trying to solve a simple problem: while I am inside an arbitrary project directory, I want to get a path to a file `filename.c` located elsewhere in the same project.¹ > > One way to implement that is with a command chain: > > cd $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) && git ls-files --full-name -- "*filename.c" > > But it is pretty clunky, because that requires you to modify state (changing current directory). It may not matter though, but I'm just wondering if there's a better way to do that, something like `git ls-files --top -- …`, or anything like that? Haven't found nothing similar in `man git-ls-files`. When a command expects pathspecs as arguments, then in general the leading ':/' magic means the root of the working tree (not sure where it is documented, though), i.e. you could try this: git ls-files --full-name ':/*filename.c' > As a separate note, this doesn't work: > > ls-files --full-name -- $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"*filename.c" > > 1: the usecase is I have a Emacs helper function to pick up a an aribtrarily mangled path to a file in the project from the primary clipboard and open that file. It's often "mangled", because gdb prints it with `../`, then logs print no path whatsoever, just a filename… So it's generally useful to have. ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2023-06-23 09:52 Subject: Re: Getting path to a file from arbitrary project directory Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqzg4qbj4y.fsf%40gitster.g In-Reply-To: <21c8396c1441dd4f74cd2097ac970a2033b81da4.camel@yandex.ru> ``` Konstantin Kharlamov writes: > 1: the usecase is I have a Emacs helper function to pick up a an > aribtrarily mangled path to a file in the project from the primary > clipboard and open that file. It's often "mangled", because gdb > prints it with `../`, then logs print no path whatsoever, just a > filename… So it's generally useful to have. Sounds like you are looking for the top (and possibly glob) magic pathspec, e.g. in the source tree of Git itself, I can go a few levels down into a random directory and get exactly the same listing of two files whose name is "rerere.c" located in two directories: $ cd t/helper $ git ls-files --full-name ':(top,glob)**/rerere.c' builtin/rerere.c rerere.c Look for magic pathspec in "git help glossary" to learn more. ``` ## Konstantin Kharlamov, 2023-06-23 10:02 Subject: Re: Getting path to a file from arbitrary project directory Message-ID: <0610eb14b9ebafd531d9e952e135171267479c66.camel@yandex.ru> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/0610eb14b9ebafd531d9e952e135171267479c66.camel%40yandex.ru In-Reply-To: <20230623094525.GA4204@szeder.dev> ``` Thank you very much, works for me! On Fri, 2023-06-23 at 11:45 +0200, SZEDER Gábor wrote: > On Fri, Jun 23, 2023 at 11:52:58AM +0300, Konstantin Kharlamov wrote: > > (please keep me CC'ed, I'm not subscribed) > > > > Hello! I'm trying to solve a simple problem: while I am inside an arbitrary > > project directory, I want to get a path to a file `filename.c` located > > elsewhere in the same project.¹ > > > > One way to implement that is with a command chain: > > > >         cd $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) && git ls-files --full-name -- > > "*filename.c" > > > > But it is pretty clunky, because that requires you to modify state (changing > > current directory). It may not matter though, but I'm just wondering if > > there's a better way to do that, something like `git ls-files --top -- …`, > > or anything like that? Haven't found nothing similar in `man git-ls-files`. > > When a command expects pathspecs as arguments, then in general the > leading ':/' magic means the root of the working tree (not sure where > it is documented, though), i.e. you could try this: > >   git ls-files --full-name ':/*filename.c' > > > > As a separate note, this doesn't work: > > > >         ls-files --full-name -- $(git rev-parse --show- > > toplevel)"*filename.c" > > > > 1: the usecase is I have a Emacs helper function to pick up a an aribtrarily > > mangled path to a file in the project from the primary clipboard and open > > that file. It's often "mangled", because gdb prints it with `../`, then logs > > print no path whatsoever, just a filename… So it's generally useful to have. ``` ## Konstantin Kharlamov, 2023-06-23 10:02 Subject: Re: Getting path to a file from arbitrary project directory Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/d20ac97bbb82256732e15cdc512709db98d1da88.camel%40yandex.ru In-Reply-To: ``` Thank you, it works! On Fri, 2023-06-23 at 02:52 -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote: > Konstantin Kharlamov writes: > > > 1: the usecase is I have a Emacs helper function to pick up a an > > aribtrarily mangled path to a file in the project from the primary > > clipboard and open that file. It's often "mangled", because gdb > > prints it with `../`, then logs print no path whatsoever, just a > > filename… So it's generally useful to have. > > Sounds like you are looking for the top (and possibly glob) magic > pathspec, e.g. in the source tree of Git itself, I can go a few > levels down into a random directory and get exactly the same listing > of two files whose name is "rerere.c" located in two directories: > >     $ cd t/helper >     $ git ls-files --full-name ':(top,glob)**/rerere.c' >     builtin/rerere.c >     rerere.c > > Look for magic pathspec in "git help glossary" to learn more. > > ```