44 lines
1.9 KiB
Text
44 lines
1.9 KiB
Text
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Normally, the content of files in the annex is prevented from being modified.
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That's a good thing, because it might be the only copy, you wouldn't
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want to lose it in a fumblefingered mistake.
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# echo oops > my_cool_big_file
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bash: my_cool_big_file: Permission denied
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In order to modify a file, it should first be unlocked.
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# git annex unlock my_cool_big_file
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unlock my_cool_big_file (copying...) ok
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That replaces the symlink that normally points at its content with a copy
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of the content. You can then modify the file like any regular file. Because
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it is a regular file.
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(If you decide you don't need to modify the file after all, or want to discard
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modifications, just use `git annex lock`.)
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When you `git commit`, git-annex's pre-commit hook will automatically
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notice that you are committing an unlocked file, and add its new content
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to the annex. The file will be replaced with a symlink to the new content,
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and this symlink is what gets committed to git in the end.
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# echo "now smaller, but even cooler" > my_cool_big_file
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# git commit my_cool_big_file -m "changed an annexed file"
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add my_cool_big_file ok
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[master 64cda67] changed an annexed file
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2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
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create mode 100644 .git-annex/WORM:1289672605:30:file.log
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There is one problem with using `git commit` like this: Git wants to first
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stage the entire contents of the file in its index. That can be slow for
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big files (sorta why git-annex exists in the first place). So, the
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automatic handling on commit is a nice safety feature, since it prevents
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the file content being accidentally committed into git. But when working with
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big files, it's faster to explicitly add them to the annex yourself
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before committing.
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# echo "now smaller, but even cooler yet" > my_cool_big_file
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# git annex add my_cool_big_file
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add my_cool_big_file ok
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# git commit my_cool_big_file -m "changed an annexed file"
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