git-annex/doc/special_remotes/hook.mdwn

This special remote type lets you store content in a remote of your own
devising.

It's not recommended to use this remote type when another like [[rsync]]
or [[directory]] will do. If your hooks are not carefully written, data
could be lost.

## example

Here's a simple example that stores content on clay tablets. If you
implement this example in the real world, I'd appreciate a tour
next Apert! :) --[[Joey]]

	# git config annex.cuneiform-store-hook 'tocuneiform < "$ANNEX_FILE" | tablet-writer --implement=stylus --title="$ANNEX_KEY" | tablet-proofreader | librarian --shelve --floor=$ANNEX_HASH_1 --shelf=$ANNEX_HASH_2'
	# git config annex.cuneiform-retrieve-hook 'librarian --get --floor=$ANNEX_HASH_1 --shelf=$ANNEX_HASH_2 --title="$ANNEX_KEY" | tablet-reader --implement=coffee --implement=glasses --force-monastic-dedication | fromcuneiform > "$ANNEX_FILE"'
	# git config annex.cuneiform-remove-hook 'librarian --get --floor=$ANNEX_HASH_1 --shelf=$ANNEX_HASH_2 --title="$ANNEX_KEY" | goon --hit-with-hammer'
	# git config annex.cuneiform-checkpresent-hook 'librarian --find --force-distrust-catalog --floor=$ANNEX_HASH_1 --shelf=$ANNEX_HASH_2 --title="$ANNEX_KEY" --shout-title'
	# git annex initremote library type=hook hooktype=cuneiform encryption=none
	# git annex describe library "the reborn Library of Alexandria (upgrade to bronze plates pending)"

Can you spot the potential data loss bugs in the above simple example?
(Hint: What happens when the `tablet-proofreader` exits nonzero?)

## configuration

These parameters can be passed to `git annex initremote`:

* `encryption` - Required. Either "none" to disable encryption of content,
  or a value that can be looked up (using gpg -k) to find a gpg encryption
  key that will be given access to the remote. Note that additional gpg
  keys can be given access to a remote by rerunning initremote with
  the new key id. See [[encryption]].

* `hooktype` - Required. This specifies a collection of hooks to use for
  this remote.

## hooks

Each type of hook remote is specified by a collection of hook commands.
Each hook command is run as a shell command line, and should return nonzero
on failure, and zero on success.

These environment variables are used to communicate with the hook commands:

* `ANNEX_KEY` - name of a key to store, retrieve, remove, or check.
* `ANNEX_FILE` - a file containing the key's content
* `ANNEX_HASH_1` - short stable value, based on the key, can be used for hashing
  into 1024 buckets.
* `ANNEX_HASH_2` - another hash value, can be used for a second level of hashing

The setting to use in git config for the hook commands are as follows:

* `annex.$hooktype-store-hook` - Command run to store a key in the special remote.
  `ANNEX_FILE` contains the content to be stored.

* `annex.$hooktype-retrieve-hook` - Command run to retrieve a key from the special remote.
  `ANNEX_FILE` is a file that the retrieved content should be written to.
  The file may already exist with a partial
  copy of the content (or possibly just garbage), to allow for resuming
  of partial transfers.

* `annex.$hooktype-remove-hook` - Command to remove a key from the special remote.

* `annex.$hooktype-checkpresent-hook` - Command to check if a key is present
  in the special remote. Should output the key name to stdout, on its own line,
  if and only if the key has been actively verified to be present in the
  special remote (caching presence information is a very bad idea);
  all other output to stdout will be ignored.