Re: Problem: `fatal: too-short tree object` when executing hash-object on tree
From: Junio C Hamano <hidden>
Date: 2023-08-31 17:26:00
"Gareth Hayes" [off-list ref] writes:
Problem: I'm trying to reproduce the identifier of a tree object using `git cat-file -p <tree object identifier> | git hash-object -t tree --stdin` This results in an error: `fatal: too-short tree object` To replicate: `git cat-file -p HEAD` `git cat-file -p <tree object identifier from output of above> | git hash-object -t tree --stdin` This works for other object types but not trees. What am I doing wrong?
It would work *ONLY* for blob, and not commit or tag object types, no? The "-p" option is to present the object in a human-friendly format, as opposed to giving the raw stream of bytes that is suitable for machine consumption and required by hash-object. It so happens that for "blob", the raw stream of bytes is just as human-friendly as the tool can make, without having a deep knowledge of the content type (e.g. it may be possible to make "cat-file -p <blob>" to somehow apply an appropriate textconv filter if the path to <blob> is known as a future enhancement, but such a code does not exist yet, and when it happens, even "cat-file -p <blob> | hash-object --stdin" would not round-trip). So, that is what you are doing wrong, I think.