git checkout -f: What am I missing?

git checkout -f: What am I missing?

[Soham Mehta]

Hi,

I have a situation with git that I'm trying to understand:

Description:
1) GIT_DIR is set to /path/to/repo/.git
2) Repository is /not /a bare repo, and all files are nicely checked-out 
in /path/to/repo/
3) Somebody pushes to that repo using ssh (any branch, checked-out or not)
4) Default post-receive hook runs (it is the only one +x) which sends 
out an email 
(http://repo.or.cz/w/git.git/blob/HEAD:/contrib/hooks/post-receive-email)
5) After it is done sending the email, I put "git checkout -f", at the 
end in the same file, in case someone pushes to a checked-out branch

Problem:
It runs "checkout -f" as if inside .git directory, instead of on the 
parent. i.e. it gets all files from the parent and writes them inside 
.git. Parent is left untouched.

Some more info:
0) We don't have GIT_DIR set in the environment. The hook does a 
rev-parse to find it.
1) echo of $GIT_DIR right before the checkout -f line gives a "." .
2) It works as expected if I do this:  cd /path/to/repo && git 
--git-dir=/path/to/repo/.git/ checkout -f

What I do know:
1) Pushing to a checked-out branch is not a git best-practice, and some 
git behavior is undefined in that case. We already have plans to go away 
from that.
2) Git tends to like full path names instead of relative ones

Can someone help me understand this behavior?

Thanks.
-Soham

Re: git checkout -f: What am I missing?

[Michael J Gruber]

Soham Mehta venit, vidit, dixit 14.01.2010 22:16:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a situation with git that I'm trying to understand:
> 
> Description:
> 1) GIT_DIR is set to /path/to/repo/.git
> 2) Repository is /not /a bare repo, and all files are nicely checked-out 
> in /path/to/repo/
> 3) Somebody pushes to that repo using ssh (any branch, checked-out or not)
> 4) Default post-receive hook runs (it is the only one +x) which sends 
> out an email 
> (http://repo.or.cz/w/git.git/blob/HEAD:/contrib/hooks/post-receive-email)
> 5) After it is done sending the email, I put "git checkout -f", at the 
> end in the same file, in case someone pushes to a checked-out branch
> 
> Problem:
> It runs "checkout -f" as if inside .git directory, instead of on the 
> parent. i.e. it gets all files from the parent and writes them inside 
> .git. Parent is left untouched.
> 
> Some more info:
> 0) We don't have GIT_DIR set in the environment. The hook does a 
> rev-parse to find it.
> 1) echo of $GIT_DIR right before the checkout -f line gives a "." .
> 2) It works as expected if I do this:  cd /path/to/repo && git 
> --git-dir=/path/to/repo/.git/ checkout -f
> 
> What I do know:
> 1) Pushing to a checked-out branch is not a git best-practice, and some 
> git behavior is undefined in that case. We already have plans to go away 
> from that.
> 2) Git tends to like full path names instead of relative ones
> 
> Can someone help me understand this behavior?

Does the thread
http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/136267
help by any chance?
You've found the solution, "cd .. && unset GIT_DIR" does it.

Michael

Re: git checkout -f: What am I missing?

[Michael J Gruber]

Soham Mehta venit, vidit, dixit 27.01.2010 22:40:
> Thanks Michael.
> 
> Is that a bug? If not, how do I understand it?
> 
> -Soham
> 
> 
> thus spake Michael J Gruber , On 1/15/2010 7:28 AM:
>> Soham Mehta venit, vidit, dixit 14.01.2010 22:16:
>>   
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I have a situation with git that I'm trying to understand:
>>>
>>> Description:
>>> 1) GIT_DIR is set to /path/to/repo/.git
>>> 2) Repository is /not /a bare repo, and all files are nicely checked-out 
>>> in /path/to/repo/
>>> 3) Somebody pushes to that repo using ssh (any branch, checked-out or not)
>>> 4) Default post-receive hook runs (it is the only one +x) which sends 
>>> out an email 
>>> (http://repo.or.cz/w/git.git/blob/HEAD:/contrib/hooks/post-receive-email)
>>> 5) After it is done sending the email, I put "git checkout -f", at the 
>>> end in the same file, in case someone pushes to a checked-out branch
>>>
>>> Problem:
>>> It runs "checkout -f" as if inside .git directory, instead of on the 
>>> parent. i.e. it gets all files from the parent and writes them inside 
>>> .git. Parent is left untouched.
>>>
>>> Some more info:
>>> 0) We don't have GIT_DIR set in the environment. The hook does a 
>>> rev-parse to find it.
>>> 1) echo of $GIT_DIR right before the checkout -f line gives a "." .
>>> 2) It works as expected if I do this:  cd /path/to/repo && git 
>>> --git-dir=/path/to/repo/.git/ checkout -f
>>>
>>> What I do know:
>>> 1) Pushing to a checked-out branch is not a git best-practice, and some 
>>> git behavior is undefined in that case. We already have plans to go away 
>>> from that.
>>> 2) Git tends to like full path names instead of relative ones
>>>
>>> Can someone help me understand this behavior?
>>>     
>>
>> Does the thread
>> http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/136267
>> help by any chance?
>> You've found the solution, "cd .. && unset GIT_DIR" does it.
>>
>> Michael
>>   

Because it messes up the reading order.

Why?

Please don't top-post.

Back to your question: The thread I pointed you to explains that git
sets "GIT_DIR=.", and given that the behaviour is exactly as expected.
It's not a bug. Changing it may break existing hooks.

One may argue for a change in behaviour in the next major release, but
not 1.7. any more.

Michael