Hi, I have a working local repository and I'd like to make a branch with just one file (let's say path2/filename2) and to keep its whole history. At first I've considered creating a fresh new repo and redirecting `git-log -p --follow path2/filename2` output to some other git command. When later I've discussed the topic on #git@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I've been pointed to git-filter-branch. Searching for more info about git-filter-branch on the web I've found a couple of examples that might be close to what I'd like to accomplish: from http://loupgaroublond.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-to-split-repository-in-git.html $ git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -rf $put_the_files_you_want_to_remove_here' HEAD $ git reset --hard $ git gc --aggressive $ git prune from http://log.emmanuelebassi.net/archives/2007/09/when-the-levee-breaks/ $ git clone --no-hardlinks /tmp/gtk2-perl Gtk2-SourceView.git $ git filter-branch --subdirectory-filter Gtk2-SourceView HEAD $ git reset --hard $ git gc --aggressive $ git prune I've also gone through man pages and I've found something interesting: $ git-filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm $filename' HEAD or, as far as I understood, equivalent and faster: $ git-filter-branch --index-filter 'git-update-index --remove $filename' HEAD Now, what I'd like to do is complementary to the above example; the difference is that I don't want to remove just one file and its traces from history; rather I'd like to have a new repo which includes just that file and its history. So I would need something like the following command: $ git-filter-branch --tree-filter 'keep(?) $filename' HEAD I think one possible solution would be: $ git-filter-branch --tree-filter 'find ! -type d | grep -v "^./path2/filename2$" | while read FILE; do rm $FILE; done' HEAD Problems come, I think, if the content you want to keep track of, is placed in a file that has been renamed. For example, let's say that the content you want to keep track of was in: path1/filename1 from commit 1 to commit 1000 path2/filename1 from commit 1001 to commit 2000 path2/filename2 from commit 2001 to commit 3000 In this case I think one possible solution would be: $ git-filter-branch --tree-filter 'find ! -type d | grep -v "^./path1/filename1$" | grep -v "^./path2/filename1$" | grep -v "^./path2/filename2$" | while read FILE; do rm $FILE; done' HEAD But what happens if in the meanwhile a new file has been created with one of the names we used for the content we want to keep track of? Let's say, following the previous case, that path2/filename1 has been renamed to path2/filename2 with commit 2001, and that with commit 2500 a new file has been created with name path1/filename1. Considering both the solutions I've found on the web and the ones I've been suggested on #git@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I've found four/five possible path to follow: a) git log | another git command (later I've been told that git log --follows leaves out the initial revision) b) git clone; git filter-branch c) create a new repo with your one file and make an initial commit then do: (cd repo-with-one-file; git ls-tree)|(cd repo-where-you-want-the-new-branch; git-mktree) d) git commit-tree that-tree < file-with-commit-message then: git checkout -b branchname that-commit e) git-am or git apply processing the output of git-log or another similar command I hope you guys can help me to make some light on this issue. Thanks in advance. :D P.S. Sorry for my bad english but I'm not a native english speaker, I hope that what I've written made enough sense to you. :)
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