Subject: Re: Bug report about symlinks

From: René Scharfe <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:04:25 +0200

Am 31.07.2014 um 21:50 schrieb Nikolay Avdeev:
> I've noticed something strange with git status when replacing a folder with
> symlink to another folder.
> There is a git repo with script with demo in the attachment.

Let's try and make this a bit easier for folks to follow along.

# Create test repo with two directories with two files each.
$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in /tmp/.git/
$ mkdir a b
$ echo x >a/equal
$ echo x >b/equal
$ echo y >a/different
$ echo z >b/different
$ git add a b
$ git commit -minitial
[master (root-commit) 6d36895] initial
  4 files changed, 4 insertions(+)
  create mode 100644 a/different
  create mode 100644 a/equal
  create mode 100644 b/different
  create mode 100644 b/equal

# Replace one directory with a symlink to the other.
$ rm -rf b
$ ln -s a b

# First git status call.
$ git status
On branch master
Changes not staged for commit:
   (use "git add/rm <file>..." to update what will be committed)
   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)

         deleted:    b/different

Untracked files:
   (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)

         b

no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

# Stage the changes.
$ git add b

# Second git status call.
$ git status
On branch master
Changes to be committed:
   (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)

         new file:   b
         deleted:    b/different
         deleted:    b/equal

# Commit the staged changes.
$ git commit -msymlinked
[master 4498f28] symlinked
  3 files changed, 1 insertion(+), 2 deletions(-)
  create mode 120000 b
  delete mode 100644 b/different
  delete mode 100644 b/equal

That the first and second status call report different results is a 
feature; staging changes using git add alters the status.  A commit 
after the first status call would be empty.

It could be debated if the first git status call should also report 
b/equal as deleted.

René