+[[!toc]]
+
Using ikiwiki with the [[rcs/git]] backend, some interesting things can be done
with creating mirrors (or, really, branches) of a wiki. In this tip, I'll
assume your wiki is located on a server, and you want to take a copy with
wiki using a local web server. When you're ready, you can manually push the
changes to the main wiki on the server.
+## simple clone approach
+
First, set up the wiki on the server, if it isn't already. Nothing special
needs to be done here, just follow the regular instructions in [[setup]]
for setting up ikiwiki with git.
Next, `git clone` the source (`$REPOSITORY`, not `$SRCDIR`)
from the server to the laptop.
-Now, set up a web server on your laptop, if it doesn't already have one.
+Now, set up a [[web_server|dot_cgi]] on your laptop, if it doesn't
+already have one.
Now you need to write a setup file for ikiwiki on the laptop. Mostly this
is standard, but a few special settings are needed:
* Configure a cgi wrapper as usual, but configure the git wrapper to
- be written to the `post-commit` hook of the git clone.
+ be written to the `post-commit` hook of the git clone, rather than the
+ usual `post-update` hook.
* By default, ikiwiki pulls and pushes from `origin`. This shouldn't be
done on the laptop, because the origin may not be accessible (when the
Use standard git commands to handle pulling from and pushing to the server.
-Note: Currently, after pulling changes, you will need to manually update
-the wiki, with a command such as `ikiwiki -setup wiki.setup -refresh`. This
-is because git 1.5.4 doesn't have a hook that is run locally after pulling
-changes. Newer versions of git will have a `post-merge` hook that should
-work for this purpose.
+Note that if changes are pulled from the server, you will need to manually
+update the wiki, with a command such as `ikiwiki -setup wiki.setup -refresh`.
+If you'd like it to automatically update when changes are merged in, you
+can simply make a symlink `post-merge` hook pointing at the `post-update`
+hook ikiwiki created.
+
+## bare mirror approach
+
+As above, set up a normal ikiwiki on the server, with the usual bare repository.
+
+Next, `git clone --mirror server:/path/to/bare/repository`
+
+This will be used as the $REPOSITORY on the laptop. Then you can follow
+the instructions in [[setup by hand|/setup/byhand]] as per a normal ikiwiki
+installation. This means that you can clone from the local bare repository
+as many times as you want (thus being able to have a repository which is
+used by the ikiwiki CGI, and another which you can use for updating via
+git).
+
+Use standard git commands, run in the laptop's bare git repository
+to handle pulling from and pushing to the server.