diff --git a/doc/tips/How_To_Permanently_Delete_a_File__63__/comment_1_7f2cefb0991789be5a960eb9c0a9df3f._comment b/doc/tips/How_To_Permanently_Delete_a_File__63__/comment_1_7f2cefb0991789be5a960eb9c0a9df3f._comment new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..c0eb14174b --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/tips/How_To_Permanently_Delete_a_File__63__/comment_1_7f2cefb0991789be5a960eb9c0a9df3f._comment @@ -0,0 +1,22 @@ +[[!comment format=mdwn + username="https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawmwjQzWgiD7_I3zw-_91rMRf_6qoThupis" + nickname="Mike" + subject="comment 1" + date="2014-10-09T17:53:04Z" + content=""" +I experimented with this by making an empty directory with two empty files and one file with some content. I added them all, then ran ``git annex drop --numcopies=0 ; git rm `` on one of the empty files. + +Interestingly, what happened is that git annex deleted the empty file from .git/annex/objects, but left the directory structure. In this case the link pointed to: + +.git/annex/objects/pX/ZJ/SHA256E-s0--e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855/SHA256E-s0--e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855 + +After the drop command what was left was the following empty directory: + +.git/annex/objects/pX/ZJ/SHA256E-s0--e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855/ + +Also interestingly and terrifyingly, because there were two empty files, both pointed to the same object, the ``git annex drop`` command deleted the file in the objects directory, and now the second link points to nothing. The file is done. + +This means that if you have a git annex repository and you have two copies of a file, and you think to yourself, \"oh, let me just delete one, I don't need two\", and you use the method above, you will permanently and irrevocably delete both files. Not good. + +Any better ideas on how to do this? +"""]]