While git-annex can be [[installed_on_your_Android_device|/Android]],
it might be easier not to install it there, but run it on your computer
using `adb` to pull and push changes to the Android device.

A few reasons for going this route:

* Easier than installing git-annex on Android.
* Avoids needing to type commands into a terminal on Android.
* Avoids problems with putting a git-annex repository on Android's `/sdcard`,
  which is crippled by not supporting hard links etc.

All you should need is a USB cable (or adb over wifi), and the `adb`
command.

## setting it up

First, initialize your git-annex repository on your computer, if you haven't
already.

Then, in that repository, set up an adb special remote:

	initremote android type=adb androiddirectory=/sdcard/DCIM encryption=none exporttree=yes importtree=yes

The above example imports files from the /sdcard/DCIM directory of the
Android device, so it will only import photos and videos, not other files.
If you wanted to import everything, you could instead use 
"androiddirectory=/sdcard".

## initial import

Now you can import all files from your Android device:

	git annex import master:android --from android
	git merge --allow-unrelated-histories android/master

That merges the imported files into the existing contents of your git-annex
repository. In the example above, the imported files were put into an
"android" subdirectory, to keep them separate from your other files.
If you leave off the ":android", the files will be imported into the top of
the repository.

## initial export

With the files from the Android device imported, you might want to remove
them from it, to free up space on it. Or, you might add more files that you
want to export to it, or change files. Whatever changes you make,
you can `git annex add` and `git commit` as usual. Then to export
the changed branch to the Android device:

	git annex export master:android --to android

(Again the ":android" limits it to the android directory,
so leave thatoff if you want to export everything.)

It's fine to export and import in any order and at any time, and you can
make changes to files on the Android device at any time too. git-annex will
keep it all in sync.

## automation

Let's automate that syncing process some more.

        git config remote.android.annex-tracking-branch master:android

That configures git-annex to know that you want sync up the master
branch (specifically the android subdirectory) and your Android device.

Now, you only have to run a single command to sync everything:
        
	git annex sync --content

## sample workflows

### photos

The examples above showed how to import photos from your Android device
into an android subdirectory. If you don't want to keep old photos on your
Android device, you can simply `git mv` the files out of the android
directory, and the next sync with the phone will delete them from the
Android device:

	git mv android/* .
	git annex sync --content

### music and podcasts

Set up the remote to use the /sdcard/Music directory:

	initremote android type=adb androiddirectory=/sdcard/Music encryption=none exporttree=yes importtree=yes

The rest of the commands are unchanged:

	git annex import master:android --from android
	git merge --allow-unrelated-histories android/master
	git annex export master:android --to android
        git config remote.android.annex-tracking-branch master:android
	git annex sync --content

With this setup, you can copy music and podcasts you want to listen 
to over to the Android device, by first copying them to the Android
directory of your git-annex repo:

	cp -a podcasts/LibreLounge/Episode_14__Secure_Scuttlebutt_with_Joey_Hess.ogg android/
	git annex add android
	git annex sync --content

Once you're done with listening to something on the Android device,
you can simply delete on the device, and the next time git-annex syncs, it
will get removed from the android directory.