Re: Multiple checkouts active for the same repository

On Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:29:47 +0100, Gustavo Narea
[off-list ref] wrote:

Hello.

We're currently migrating from another DVCS, which allows us to have
working copies of each branch in separate directories, so that their
code can be used simultaneously. However, I haven't found a way to do
this with Git, at least not an easy way. Can you please help me?

The git-new-workdir script to be found in contrib/workdir allows multiple
working copies to share the same repository - though there are some
caveats:

 1) uses symbolic links, so doesn't work on Windows
 2) the working copies are not aware of each other, so if you change a
checked out branch from another working copy you have to remember to git
reset your working copy before doing anything with it to get it back in
sync with the branch
 3) you have to remember not to delete the actual clone
 4) the working copies are not aware of each other, so it is possible for
objects needed by one working copy to get pruned from another one

Personally, I use this script all the time to checkout multiple branches
at the same time taking care to stay away from the issues above, and
everything hums along nicely.

We are a team of Web developers and testers working on an application.
There are always a few development branches and a stable branch, and
testers need all the branches with the very latest code available at all
times.

The way we handle it at the moment is very simple because the server
hosting the remote repository is the same that hosts the deployed
instances of each branch, so when we push to the remote repository, the
code for each site is automatically updated.

We use the following structure:
/srv/repositories/project/branch1
/srv/repositories/project/branch2
/srv/repositories/project/branch3

Is there any simple way to do this with Git? I can only think of two
options that involve hooks:

    * Have a hook that exports each branch to a directory like
      /srv/repositories/project/branchN
    * Have one Git repository per branch, so that each repository have a
      different checkout active. Then the main remote repository will
      have post-receive hooks that trigger a pull on each individual

I'm not particularly happy with either way. Is there a better solution?

-- 
Julian