62 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
62 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
Normally, git-annex repositories consist of symlinks that are checked into
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git, and in turn point at the content of large files that is stored in
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`.git/annex/objects/`. Direct mode is an experimental mode that gets rid of
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the symlinks.
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The advantage of direct mode is that you can access files directly,
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including modifying them. The disadvantage is that most regular git
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commands cannot safely be used, and only a subset of git-annex commands
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can be used.
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## make a direct mode repository
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To make a repository using direct mode, either make a fresh clone of an
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existing repository, or start a new repository. Then configure direct mode:
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`git config annex.direct true`
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You're strongly encouraged to tell git-annex that direct mode repositories
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cannot be trusted to retain the content of a file (because it can be
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deleted or modified at any time). To do so: `git annex untrust .`
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## use a direct mode repository
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You can use `git annex add` to add files to your direct mode repository.
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The main command that's supported in direct mode repositories is
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`git annex sync`. This automatically commits all changed files to git,
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pushes them out, pulls down any changes, etc.
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You can also run `git annex get` to transfer the content of files into your
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direct mode repository. Or if the direct mode repository is a remote of
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some other, regular git-annex repository, you can use commands like `git
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annex copy` and `git annex move` to transfer the contents of files to the
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direct mode repository.
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You can use `git commit --staged`. (But not `git commit -a` .. It'll commit
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whole large files into git!)
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You can use `git log` and other git query commands.
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## what doesn't work in direct mode
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In general git-annex commands will only work in direct mode repositories on
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files whose content is not present. That's because such files are still
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represented as symlinks, which git-annex commands know how to operate on.
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So, `git annex get` works, but `git annex drop` and `git annex move` don't,
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and things like `git annex fsck` and `git annex status` show incomplete
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information.
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It's technically possible to make all git-annex commands work in direct
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mode repositories, so this might change. Check back to this page to see
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current status about what works and what doesn't.
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As for git commands, you can probably use some git working tree
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manipulation commands, like `git checkout` and `git revert` in useful
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ways... But beware, these commands can replace files that are present in
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your repository with broken symlinks. If that file was the only copy you
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had of something, it'll be lost.
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This is one reason it's wise to make git-annex untrust your direct mode
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repositories. Still, you can lose data using these sort of git commands, so
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use extreme caution. With direct mode, you're operating without large
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swathes of git-annex's carefully constructed safety net.
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