git svn - clone repo with all externals

Question

I want to use git to clone a svn repository, but unfortunately, where svn checkout gets the repo with all externals, git svn clone only gets the repository without externals. How can I get the externals from the svn repository via git svn? I don't want to do any fancy stuff, just get the the complet repo with externals.

Priceless

there is github.com/andrep/git-svn-clone-externals – Biathlon

Answer 1

git-svn doesn't support externals, but you may try SmartGit instead of git-svn. It supports svn:externals, converting them into .gitsvnextmodules file and displaying as modules. The only restriction: you should clone the repository with SmartGit instead of opening already existing git-svn repository.

Shimmy

The followup question: Does SmartGit support git-svn? – Limassol

Partially. It has compatibility and incompatibility modes. In the first one it fully emulates git-svn (hence doesn't support externals) in the second one it supports externals but not git-svn (i.e. git-svn commands will fail, you'll have to use UI to work with the repository). So you should choose. – Shimmy

SmartGit only creates a .gitsvnextmodules and after calling "git submodule update --init --recursive" nothing happens. So I assume there is something not working correct... – Decennium

It is written in the doc (wvvw.syntevo.com/doc/display/SG/SVN+Integration) that "Only externals pointing to directories are supported, not externals pointing to individual files ('file externals')." – Decennium

Answer 2

I have been use git as a front end to access a SVN repository. The structure in SVN is generally pretty simple such that there is top level directory which has the externals in it and no externals in sub-directories. Also the externals don't really change much once they are added in. So assuming something like:

git svn clone X
cd X

I have had success getting all the externals with the following command:

git svn show-externals | \
 perl -ne 'if (/^\/(.*) (.*)/) { print "git svn clone $1 $2\n"; }' | \
 bash

I guess a more complicated structure for externals would require a more complicated perl script. Also, if your externals change you will need to do something similar again.

Anesthetize

I found the above technique very useful - except I had to reverse $2 and $1 (the local dir and the remote) – Presentational

@Presentational glad to hear it helped. Thanks for commenting. I have noticed that too but I haven't spent the time to investigate why the ordering changes in some cases. – Anesthetize

Perhaps the clone syntax changed between version? Today it's clone $url [$target_dir] (dir is optional) – Presentational

This doesn't seem to work if the external is a relative URL. ^/OS/blah/blah shows up as /trunk/^/OS/blah/blah with git svn show-externals. Furthermore, git svn clone doesn't work on either /trunk/^/OS/blah/blah or ^/OS/blah/blah. However, I can of course clone the external using the full path. – Legendre

Answer 3

I post solution here that works in my case

git svn show-externals | \
  awk '/^\// { print "git svn clone "$3" ."$1" "$2":HEAD"  }' | \
  bash

Pamphylia