Re: git-filter-branch

[Mike Hommey <mh@glandium.org>]

On Thu, Aug 09, 2007 at 10:19:20AM +0100, Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> > In the description in the manpage:
> >    Lets you rewrite git revision history by creating a new branch from
> >    your current branch, applying custom filters on each revision.
> >    (...)
> >    The command takes the new branch name as a mandatory argument and the
> >    filters as optional arguments
> > 
> > And in example:
> >    Now, you will get the rewritten history saved in the branch newbranch
> >    (your current branch is left untouched).
> > 
> > I must say this is a feature that would actually be nice to have...
> 
> To compare with the old one?  Use reflogs:
> 
> 	git filter-branch --some-option master
> 	git diff master@{1}..master

To have, for example, a branch tracking an upstream (svn or whatever)
repository and have a branch based on it, only differing in the fact that
some directories get removed.

To be more specific, I'm tracking webkit's svn repository, and want to
have a branch which would be a base for making source tarballs for
debian, excluding a lot of cruft (such as LayoutTests which are *huge*,
or the website that also lives in the same svn trunk).

As files are added frequently in these directories, rebase or merge would
not be enough, and I'd like to be able to do this with a bare repository,
which rebase and merge don't allow me to...

So if you have a better idea than git-filter-branch for that, I'm open to
suggestions ;)

Cheers,

Mike