Merge branch 'bg/apply-blank-trailing-context'

[git.git] / Documentation / git-remote-helpers.txt

diff --git a/Documentation/git-remote-helpers.txt b/Documentation/git-remote-helpers.txt
index 8beb42dbb9952059650d51d2e7a5ca2efe9591fb..3a23477ce72763b562258a25c3777dd57ac1a962 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/git-remote-helpers.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-remote-helpers.txt
@@ -3,20 +3,69 @@ git-remote-helpers(1)
 
 NAME
 ----
 
 NAME
 ----

-git-remote-helpers - Helper programs for interoperation with remote git
+git-remote-helpers - Helper programs to interact with remote repositories

 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------

-'git remote-<transport>' <remote>
+'git remote-<transport>' <repository> [<URL>]

 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 

-These programs are normally not used directly by end users, but are
-invoked by various git programs that interact with remote repositories
-when the repository they would operate on will be accessed using
-transport code not linked into the main git binary. Various particular
-helper programs will behave as documented here.
+Remote helper programs are normally not used directly by end users,
+but they are invoked by git when it needs to interact with remote
+repositories git does not support natively.  A given helper will
+implement a subset of the capabilities documented here. When git
+needs to interact with a repository using a remote helper, it spawns
+the helper as an independent process, sends commands to the helper's
+standard input, and expects results from the helper's standard
+output. Because a remote helper runs as an independent process from
+git, there is no need to re-link git to add a new helper, nor any
+need to link the helper with the implementation of git.
+
+Every helper must support the "capabilities" command, which git will
+use to determine what other commands the helper will accept.  Other
+commands generally concern facilities like discovering and updating
+remote refs, transporting objects between the object database and
+the remote repository, and updating the local object store.
+
+Helpers supporting the 'fetch' capability can discover refs from the
+remote repository and transfer objects reachable from those refs to
+the local object store. Helpers supporting the 'push' capability can
+transfer local objects to the remote repository and update remote refs.
+
+Git comes with a "curl" family of remote helpers, that handle various
+transport protocols, such as 'git-remote-http', 'git-remote-https',
+'git-remote-ftp' and 'git-remote-ftps'. They implement the capabilities
+'fetch', 'option', and 'push'.
+
+INVOCATION
+----------
+
+Remote helper programs are invoked with one or (optionally) two
+arguments. The first argument specifies a remote repository as in git;
+it is either the name of a configured remote or a URL. The second
+argument specifies a URL; it is usually of the form
+'<transport>://<address>', but any arbitrary string is possible.
+
+When git encounters a URL of the form '<transport>://<address>', where
+'<transport>' is a protocol that it cannot handle natively, it
+automatically invokes 'git remote-<transport>' with the full URL as
+the second argument. If such a URL is encountered directly on the
+command line, the first argument is the same as the second, and if it
+is encountered in a configured remote, the first argument is the name
+of that remote.
+
+A URL of the form '<transport>::<address>' explicitly instructs git to
+invoke 'git remote-<transport>' with '<address>' as the second
+argument. If such a URL is encountered directly on the command line,
+the first argument is '<address>', and if it is encountered in a
+configured remote, the first argument is the name of that remote.
+
+Additionally, when a configured remote has 'remote.<name>.vcs' set to
+'<transport>', git explicitly invokes 'git remote-<transport>' with
+'<name>' as the first argument. If set, the second argument is
+'remote.<name>.url'; otherwise, the second argument is omitted.

 
 COMMANDS
 --------
 
 COMMANDS
 --------


@@ -25,34 +74,37 @@ Commands are given by the caller on the helper's standard input, one per line.
 
 'capabilities'::
        Lists the capabilities of the helper, one per line, ending
 
 'capabilities'::
        Lists the capabilities of the helper, one per line, ending

-       with a blank line.
+       with a blank line. Each capability may be preceded with '*',
+       which marks them mandatory for git version using the remote
+       helper to understand (unknown mandatory capability is fatal
+       error).

 
 'list'::
        Lists the refs, one per line, in the format "<value> <name>
        [<attr> ...]". The value may be a hex sha1 hash, "@<dest>" for
        a symref, or "?" to indicate that the helper could not get the
        value of the ref. A space-separated list of attributes follows
 
 'list'::
        Lists the refs, one per line, in the format "<value> <name>
        [<attr> ...]". The value may be a hex sha1 hash, "@<dest>" for
        a symref, or "?" to indicate that the helper could not get the
        value of the ref. A space-separated list of attributes follows

-       the name; unrecognized attributes are ignored. After the
-       complete list, outputs a blank line.
+       the name; unrecognized attributes are ignored. The list ends
+       with a blank line.

 +
 If 'push' is supported this may be called as 'list for-push'
 to obtain the current refs prior to sending one or more 'push'
 commands to the helper.
 
 'option' <name> <value>::
 +
 If 'push' is supported this may be called as 'list for-push'
 to obtain the current refs prior to sending one or more 'push'
 commands to the helper.
 
 'option' <name> <value>::

-       Set the transport helper option <name> to <value>.  Outputs a
+       Sets the transport helper option <name> to <value>.  Outputs a

        single line containing one of 'ok' (option successfully set),
        'unsupported' (option not recognized) or 'error <msg>'
        single line containing one of 'ok' (option successfully set),
        'unsupported' (option not recognized) or 'error <msg>'

-       (option <name> is supported but <value> is not correct
+       (option <name> is supported but <value> is not valid

        for it).  Options should be set before other commands,
        for it).  Options should be set before other commands,

-       and may how those commands behave.
+       and may influence the behavior of those commands.

 +
 Supported if the helper has the "option" capability.
 
 'fetch' <sha1> <name>::
        Fetches the given object, writing the necessary objects
        to the database.  Fetch commands are sent in a batch, one
 +
 Supported if the helper has the "option" capability.
 
 'fetch' <sha1> <name>::
        Fetches the given object, writing the necessary objects
        to the database.  Fetch commands are sent in a batch, one

-       per line, and the batch is terminated with a blank line.
+       per line, terminated with a blank line.

        Outputs a single blank line when all fetch commands in the
        same batch are complete. Only objects which were reported
        in the ref list with a sha1 may be fetched this way.
        Outputs a single blank line when all fetch commands in the
        same batch are complete. Only objects which were reported
        in the ref list with a sha1 may be fetched this way.


@@ -64,7 +116,7 @@ suitably updated.
 Supported if the helper has the "fetch" capability.
 
 'push' +<src>:<dst>::
 Supported if the helper has the "fetch" capability.
 
 'push' +<src>:<dst>::

-       Pushes the given <src> commit or branch locally to the
+       Pushes the given local <src> commit or branch to the

        remote branch described by <dst>.  A batch sequence of
        one or more push commands is terminated with a blank line.
 +
        remote branch described by <dst>.  A batch sequence of
        one or more push commands is terminated with a blank line.
 +


@@ -79,6 +131,34 @@ style string if it contains an LF.
 +
 Supported if the helper has the "push" capability.
 
 +
 Supported if the helper has the "push" capability.
 

+'import' <name>::
+       Produces a fast-import stream which imports the current value
+       of the named ref. It may additionally import other refs as
+       needed to construct the history efficiently. The script writes
+       to a helper-specific private namespace. The value of the named
+       ref should be written to a location in this namespace derived
+       by applying the refspecs from the "refspec" capability to the
+       name of the ref.
++
+Especially useful for interoperability with a foreign versioning
+system.
++
+Supported if the helper has the "import" capability.
+
+'connect' <service>::
+       Connects to given service. Standard input and standard output
+       of helper are connected to specified service (git prefix is
+       included in service name so e.g. fetching uses 'git-upload-pack'
+       as service) on remote side. Valid replies to this command are
+       empty line (connection established), 'fallback' (no smart
+       transport support, fall back to dumb transports) and just
+       exiting with error message printed (can't connect, don't
+       bother trying to fall back). After line feed terminating the
+       positive (empty) response, the output of service starts. After
+       the connection ends, the remote helper exits.
++
+Supported if the helper has the "connect" capability.
+

 If a fatal error occurs, the program writes the error message to
 stderr and exits. The caller should expect that a suitable error
 message has been printed if the child closes the connection without
 If a fatal error occurs, the program writes the error message to
 stderr and exits. The caller should expect that a suitable error
 message has been printed if the child closes the connection without


@@ -91,13 +171,21 @@ CAPABILITIES
 ------------
 
 'fetch'::
 ------------
 
 'fetch'::

-       This helper supports the 'fetch' command.
-

 'option'::
 'option'::

-       This helper supports the option command.
-

 'push'::
 'push'::

-       This helper supports the 'push' command.
+'import'::
+'connect'::
+       This helper supports the corresponding command with the same name.
+
+'refspec' 'spec'::
+       When using the import command, expect the source ref to have
+       been written to the destination ref. The earliest applicable
+       refspec takes precedence. For example
+       "refs/heads/*:refs/svn/origin/branches/*" means that, after an
+       "import refs/heads/name", the script has written to
+       refs/svn/origin/branches/name. If this capability is used at
+       all, it must cover all refs reported by the list command; if
+       it is not used, it is effectively "*:*"

 
 REF LIST ATTRIBUTES
 -------------------
 
 REF LIST ATTRIBUTES
 -------------------


@@ -107,22 +195,26 @@ REF LIST ATTRIBUTES
        commands.  A helper might chose to acquire the ref list by
        opening a different type of connection to the destination.
 
        commands.  A helper might chose to acquire the ref list by
        opening a different type of connection to the destination.
 

+'unchanged'::
+       This ref is unchanged since the last import or fetch, although
+       the helper cannot necessarily determine what value that produced.
+

 OPTIONS
 -------
 'option verbosity' <N>::
 OPTIONS
 -------
 'option verbosity' <N>::

-       Change the level of messages displayed by the helper.
-       When N is 0 the end-user has asked the process to be
-       quiet, and the helper should produce only error output.
-       N of 1 is the default level of verbosity, higher values
+       Changes the verbosity of messages displayed by the helper.
+       A value of 0 for N means that processes operate
+       quietly, and the helper produces only error output.
+       1 is the default level of verbosity, and higher values

        of N correspond to the number of -v flags passed on the
        command line.
 
 'option progress' \{'true'|'false'\}::
        of N correspond to the number of -v flags passed on the
        command line.
 
 'option progress' \{'true'|'false'\}::

-       Enable (or disable) progress messages displayed by the
+       Enables (or disables) progress messages displayed by the

        transport helper during a command.
 
 'option depth' <depth>::
        transport helper during a command.
 
 'option depth' <depth>::

-       Deepen the history of a shallow repository.
+       Deepens the history of a shallow repository.

 
 'option followtags' \{'true'|'false'\}::
        If enabled the helper should automatically fetch annotated
 
 'option followtags' \{'true'|'false'\}::
        If enabled the helper should automatically fetch annotated


@@ -137,9 +229,19 @@ OPTIONS
        but don't actually change any repository data.  For most
        helpers this only applies to the 'push', if supported.
 
        but don't actually change any repository data.  For most
        helpers this only applies to the 'push', if supported.
 

+'option servpath <c-style-quoted-path>'::
+       Sets service path (--upload-pack, --receive-pack etc.) for
+       next connect. Remote helper may support this option, but
+       must not rely on this option being set before
+       connect request occurs.
+
+SEE ALSO
+--------
+linkgit:git-remote[1]
+

 Documentation
 -------------
 Documentation
 -------------

-Documentation by Daniel Barkalow.
+Documentation by Daniel Barkalow and Ilari Liusvaara

 
 GIT
 ---
 
 GIT
 ---