-[[meta title="Git"]]
+[[!meta title="Git"]]
[Git][git] is a distributed revison control system originally developed for
the Linux kernel. Ikiwiki supports storing a wiki in git.
## git repository setup
-When using Git, you probably want to set up three repositories:
+The suggested setup for git is a set of repositories setup like a
+shallow, single level tree, with a bare repository (meaning that it
+does not have a working tree checked out) at the root, and various
+working clones (with working directories) as leaf nodes. The root
+(bare) repository is meant to be pushed to and pulled from the various
+working clones.
-* One of these repositories should be a bare repository (meaning that it does not have a working tree checked out), which the other two repositories will push to/pull from. It is a bare repository, since there are problems pushing to a repository that has a working directory. This is called _repository_ in [[ikiwiki-makerepo]]'s manual page. Nominally, this bare repository has a`post-commit` hook that would change directory to the second repository (the working directory for ikiwiki), do a _git pull_, and refresh ikiwiki to regenerate the wiki with any new content.
-* The second repository has a working tree which is used as ikiwiki's srcdir for compiling the wiki. **Never** push to this repository. When running as a [[cgi]], the changes are committed to this repository, and pushed to the master repository above. This is called _srcdir_ in [[ikiwiki-makerepo]]'smanual page.
-* The third (and fourth, fifth, sixth -- however many pleases you) repository is a clone of the bare master repository above -- and this has a working directory for you to work on. Use either the `git` transport (if available), or `ssh`. These repositories may be on remote machines, your laptop, whereever you find convenient to hack on your wiki. Any new content should be pushed to the bare master repository when you are ready to publish it, and then the post-commit hook of the bare repository will ensure that the ikiwiki's source directory is updated, and the ikiwiki refreshed with the new content.
+One of the leaf node clone repositories is special; it has working
+directory which is used to compile the wiki from, and is also used by the
+[[cgi]] to commit changes made via the web interface. It is special
+since the `post-commit` hook for the bare root repository is used to
+trigger an update of this repository, and then an ikiwiki refresh
+updates the published wiki itself.
-[[ikiwiki-makerepo]] can automate setting this up. Using three or more of repositories isn't the most obvious set up, but it works the best for typical ikiwiki use. [[tips/Laptop_wiki_with_git]] describes a different way to set up ikiwiki and git.
+The other (optional) leaf node repositories are meant for you to work
+on, and commit to, changes should then be pushed to the bare root
+repository. In theory, you could work on the same leaf node repository
+that ikiwiki uses to compile the wiki from, and the [[cgi]] commits
+to, as long as you ensure that permissions and ownership don't hinder
+the working of the [[cgi]]. This can be done, for example, by using
+ACL's, in practice, it is easier to just setup separate clones for
+yourself.
+
+So, to reiterate, when using Git, you probably want to set up three
+repositories:
+
+* The root repository. This should be a bare repository (meaning that
+ it does not have a working tree checked out), which the other
+ repositories will push to/pull from. It is a bare repository, since
+ there are problems pushing to a repository that has a working
+ directory. This is called _repository_ in [[ikiwiki-makerepo]]'s
+ manual page. Nominally, this bare repository has a `post-commit` hook
+ that either is or calls ikiwiki's git wrapper, which changes to the
+ working directory for ikiwiki, does a _git pull_, and refreshes ikiwiki
+ to regenerate the wiki with any new content. The [[setup]] page describes
+ how to do this.
+
+* The second repository is a clone of the bare root repository, and
+ has a working tree which is used as ikiwiki's srcdir for compiling
+ the wiki. **Never** push to this repository. When running as a
+ [[cgi]], the changes are committed to this repository, and pushed to
+ the master repository above. This is called _srcdir_ in
+ [[ikiwiki-makerepo]]'s manual page.
+
+* The other (third, fourth, fifth, sixth -- however many pleases you)
+ repositories are also clones of the bare root repository above --
+ and these have a working directory for you to work on. Use either
+ the `git` transport (if available), or `ssh`. These repositories may
+ be on remote machines, your laptop, whereever you find convenient to
+ hack on your wiki. you can commit local changes to the version on
+ the laptop, perhaps while offline. Any new content should be pushed to the
+ bare master repository when you are ready to publish it, and then
+ the post-commit hook of the bare repository will ensure that the
+ ikiwiki's source directory is updated, and the ikiwiki refreshed
+ with the new content.
+
+Using three or more of repositories isn't the most obvious set up, but
+it works the best for typical ikiwiki use. [[ikiwiki-makerepo]] can
+automate setting this up for the common case where there is no
+pre-existing wiki. [[tips/Laptop_wiki_with_git]] describes a different
+way to set up ikiwiki and git.
It is **paramount** that you **never** push to the non-bare repository
([this FAQ entry explains why](http://git.or.cz/gitwiki/GitFaq#head-b96f48bc9c925074be9f95c0fce69bcece5f6e73)).
-Instead, clone the bare repository as mentioned above, and push **only** to the bare repository.
+Instead, clone the bare repository as mentioned above, and push
+**only** to the bare repository.
The ikiwiki `post-commit` hook should be put in the bare repository.
repository, should only be writable by the wiki's admin, and *not* by the
group. Take care that ikiwiki uses a umask that does not cause files in
the srcdir to become group writable. (umask 022 will work.)
+
+## Optionally using a local wiki to preview changes
+
+When working on the "working clones" to add content to your wiki,
+it is common (but optional) practice to preview your changes using a
+private wiki on the local host before publishing the updates by
+sending it to the root repository. If you do want to setup a private
+wiki, you will have to have another setup file and and an ikiwiki
+installation on your local machine. You will need all the packages
+this implies -- a web server, git, ikiwiki, etc. However, there is a
+_caveat_: by default, ikiwiki pulls and pushes from `origin`. This is
+not ideal for the working clones on the local machine, since you might
+go through several iterations of a page before pushing to the bare
+root of the repository tree (and thus publishing it on your public wiki).
+You do not want the action of refreshing the local wiki in order to
+review your work to accidentally publish the
+contents before you are ready. In order to prevent the git push that
+is the normal behaviour of ikiwiki, set the configuration of the local wiki:
+
+ gitorigin_branch => "",
+ ## git post-commit wrapper
+ wrapper => "/working/dir/.git/hooks/post-commit",
+
+Then just committing should refresh the private ikiwiki on the local
+host. Now just run `ikiwiki -setup localwiki.setup -getctime` and
+you should be good to go. (You only need the slow `-getctime` option
+the first time you run setup.) Use standard git commands to handle
+pulling from and pushing to the server. **Note**: Currently, after
+pulling changes from the bare root repository, you will need to
+manually update the local wiki, with a command such as `ikiwiki
+-setup localwiki.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.
+
+## Fix for error on git pull origin
+
+Error message when running git pull origin:
+
+ You asked me to pull without telling me which branch you
+ want to merge with, and 'branch.master.merge' in
+ your configuration file does not tell me either. Please
+ name which branch you want to merge on the command line and
+ try again (e.g. 'git pull <repository> <refspec>').
+ See git-pull(1) for details on the refspec.
+
+ If you often merge with the same branch, you may want to
+ configure the following variables in your configuration
+ file:
+
+ branch.master.remote = <nickname>
+ branch.master.merge = <remote-ref>
+ remote.<nickname>.url = <url>
+ remote.<nickname>.fetch = <refspec>
+
+ See git-config(1) for details.
+
+The solution is to run this command in your srcdir:
+
+ git config branch.master.remote origin