ajdruff / git-get

A Git extension that allows you to download a git repository's files but without the repository. Optionally get its zip file.

git-get

git-get is a git extension that makes it a little easier to download files stored in a remote git repository. Use it when you just want the repo's files and won't be making changes to the code, or will be commiting it to a different repo and dont need to retain the repo's history.

git-get also allows you to pull down the repo, or just a branch's working directory, as a zip or tar file that includes all its submodules and respects the export-ignore rules that appear in .gitattributes. This isn't possible at all with git alone.

INSTALLATION

Using the install script

Install the latest release (includes pre-releases)

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ajdruff/git-get/master/git-install.sh | bash

Manual Installation

Install a specific branch or release

git clone https://github.com/ajdruff/git-get.git
#git clone --branch v0.0.1-pre-release  https://github.com/ajdruff/git-get.git  # for a specific branch or release
cd git-get
sudo chmod +x ./git-get
sudo cp ./git-get $(dirname $(which git))/
sudo cp  ./parser/git-get-parser.sh $(dirname $(which git))/

Quick Start

Get the master branch without the repository

git get https://github.com/tailwindcss/tailwindcss.git

Get the master branch without the repository as an archive in zipped format

git get -z https://github.com/tailwindcss/tailwindcss.git

-t can be used to give a tar archive instead

Why not just use git clone?

Using just git, you can do almost everything that git get lets you do, but you'll need to do it in multiple steps.

• git get allows you to add a project's files to your project without having to add it as a submodule or manually deleting its .git folder.
• git get will automatically include all the submodules needed for the project (without their corresponding git directories by default)
• git get can easily get a zip or tar of a repo, complete with its submodules. Although the git builtin git archive supports zip and tar, it doesnt include a projects submodules.

Download an archive zip or tar with all submodules

git-get allows you to download a zipped archive that includes all submodules and follows the export-ignore rules in a repository. .

To do that, simply pass the -z ( for zip ) and -x ( for export rules )

git get -zx https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

There are alternatives, all of which require writing a not-insignificant script. A Google search shows you that this is not solved yet; some suggestions include this old stackoverflow question and a script.

Using git get vs just git

What you want to do	Using just git	Using git get
download all files in master except the .git directory	git clone https://path/to/repo.git ;cd repo; rm -rf .git	git get https://path/to/repo.git
download all files except .git directory as an archive in tar.gz format	git clone https://path/to/repo.git; cd repo; git archive -o latest.tar.gz HEAD	git get -t https://path/to/repo.git
download all files except .git directory as an archive in zip format	git clone https://path/to/repo.git; cd repo; git archive -o latest.zip HEAD	git get -z https://path/to/repo.git
clone a repository	git clone https://path/to/repo.git	git get -k https://path/to/repo.git

Examples

A few examples using a sample repository.

Get the master branch without the repository

git get https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get the master branch with the repository (no different that git clone but gets submodules)

git get -k https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get a specific branch

git get -b git-pages https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get a release

git get -b RELEASE_1.1  https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get a zipped archive that includes all submodules

git get -z https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get a tarred archive

git get -t https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get a zipped archive that follows the export-ignore rules

git get -zx https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Get a zipped archive that follows the export-ignore rules and includes the repo

git get -zxk https://github.com/githubtraining/hellogitworld.git

Usage

Usage: git get [--branch BRANCH] [--zip] [--tar] [--export] [--keep-repo] [--dry-run] [--verbose]... [--version] [--help] <repository> [<directory>]

Options:
-b BRANCH, --branch BRANCH     The branch you want to download. [default: master].
-z, --zip                      Download as zip [default: off].
-t, --tar                      Download as tar.gz [default: off].
-x, --export                   When used in combination with -z or -t, abides by export-ignore rules in .gitattributes. [default: off].
-k, --keep-repo                Keep the .git directory [default: off].
-d, --dry-run                  Uses system tmp directory for downloads so doesnt clutter current directory. Ignored when used with -a [default: off].
-V VERBOSE, --verbose VERBOSE  Set verbose output (can be specified multiple times to increase the effect) [default: 0].
-v, --version                  Prints version.
-h, --help                     Prints help.

REQUIREMENTS

You must have the following already installed:

• git
• zip

License

MIT License

AUTHOR

Written by Andrew Druffner [e-mail]