Git - How to auto push changes in a directory to another branch

Question

Complete question rewrite

So I thought I was explaining this question very simply and direct but it seems I oversimplified to much, so here is all the extra details. Hopefully this helps everyone see this is also not a duplicate.

I have a repository (project) where I would like to automate the process of pushing commits from one directory in a branch to another branch; something I have not come across yet on SO.

Here is my project with its complete structure:

[PROJECT MASTER BRANCH] |- gh-pages (directory) |- css (directory) |- index.html (file) |- readme.md (file) [PROJECT gh-pages BRANCH] |- (empty at the moment)

What I am hoping to do is create a hook that will automatically handle changes in my gh-pages directory from the master branch, and copy/ clone/ replace them (whichever term is correct to use) into by gh-pages branch, the projects website branch. Here is an example with all other files left out:

[PROJECT MASTER BRANCH] |- gh-pages (directory) <=== SEE UPDATE BELOW [A] | |- css (directory) | | |- style.css (file) | |- index.html (file) [PROJECT gh-pages BRANCH] |- css (directory) <=== SEE UPDATE BELOW [B] | |- style.css (file) |- index.html (file)

I am completely new to this level of Git Hub. I normally just stick to the basics and never use the terminal/ shell. So in summary to clarify what I am hoping to do, I would like to:

Only have to work in the [Master Branch]. All changes I need to make to [gh-pages Branch] I do in the gh-pages directory of [Master Branch]
Preferable accomplish this by adding a simple file which seems to be a post-receive hook?

Here is some post-receive hook code that I tried using (I made it from studying a few things) but it doesn't work:

#!/bin/bash while read oldrev newrev refname do branch=$(git rev-parse --symbolic --abbrev-ref $refname) if [ "master" == "$branch" ]; then git checkout gh-pages git checkout master -- gh-pages git add gh-pages git commit -m "Updating project website from 'master' branch." fi done

NOTE
As mentioned in my comment: This is not a duplicate. This is not asking how to push but rather how to tack on other commands that auto run when I do a normal push. These commands would do the extra work mentioned in my OP.

UPDATE
I have added these arrows to parts of my code I refer to below: <===

[A] What should happen here is that Git should recursively read the master branches gh-pages directory and only copy from that what has updated (or everything if that is easier) into the gh-pages branch.

[B] So if the gh-pages directory in master has an index.html file and a css folder with a style.css file is should only copy over that structure not the gh-pages directory itself. Below is an example of a bad hook that copies the gh-pages directory too:

[PROJECT gh-pages BRANCH] |- gh-pages (Directory) <=== NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN | |- css (directory) | | |- style.css (file) | |- index.html (file)

Also, the hook should not copy over any other files but what is inside the gh-pages. Even if several other files changed in the master branch only the gh-pages directory files should be copied over.

[C] NEW CODE - This works but causes an error:

#!/bin/bash branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) if [ "master" == "$branch" ]; then git fetch && git checkout gh-pages git checkout master -- gh-pages/* git add -A git commit -m "Updating project website from 'master' branch." git push -u origin gh-pages fi

This wont work for two reasons. 1) If the repo is behind on commits it cant handle that, it will error out; if a pull is used instead of a fetch the local repo gets wiped like so:

If I leave fetch the local repo stays the way it should:

2) The whole gh-pages directory gets copied over to the gh-pages branch still and not just the files inside it.

Possible duplicate of How to automatically push after committing in git? — gzh
– gzh, Commented Feb 5, 2016 at 4:57
@gzh this is not a duplicate. This is not asking how to push but rather how to tack on other commands that auto run when I do a normal push. These commands would do the extra work mentioned in my OP. That question is about automating the whole Git cycle every time the user hits commit, not committing to master and simultaneously cloning a directory into a whole different branch. — Blizzardengle
– Blizzardengle, Commented Feb 5, 2016 at 7:34
It seems that you need to write a post-receive hook to do this task. — gzh
– gzh, Commented Feb 5, 2016 at 7:51
@gzh bump. Reworded the question. Post-receive hook makes sense but I am lost at how to implement that. — Blizzardengle
– Blizzardengle, Commented Feb 6, 2016 at 3:30
The hook script is expected to be under $your_repo/hooks/post-receive directory, then what is the running directory for your hook script, and where your checkout code will be put? I think you should create a new folder, clone the source and do what you want. — gzh
– gzh, Commented Feb 7, 2016 at 6:50

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:01:19Z

You really don't need this complex approach.

Simply add your own repo as a submodule (of itself!), submodule following the gh-pages branch (since a submodule can follow the latest commit of a branch)!

git checkout master git rm -r gh-pages # save your data first git submodule add -b gh-pages -- /remote/url/of/your/own/repo git commit -m "ADd gh-pages branch as submodule" git push

That way, you can change files either in your main branch, or in the gh-pages folder (which is actually a submodule)

Whenever you are making changes in gh-pages folder, don't forget to commit there, and in the main folder of your repo in order to record the new gitlink (special entry in the index) reprsenting the new SHA1 of the gh-pages submodule.

cd myrepo/gh-pages # modify files git add . git commit -m "modify gh-pages files" cd .. # back to myrepo folder git add gh-pages git commit -m "record gh-pages new SHA1" git push

With git 2.7+, you can set:

cd /path/to/main/repo git config push.recurseSubmodules on-demand

Then a single git push from your main repo will also push the gh-pages submodule to the gh-pages branch.

Later, a single git clone would clone both your main repo and its gh-pages branch (in the gh-pages submodule folder).

That way, you always have both content visible.

And you don't need a complex "synchronization/copy" mechanism.

Update August 2016: Simpler GitHub Pages publishing now allows to keep your page files in a subfolder of the same branch (no more gh-pages needed):

You don't need the submodule approach anymore, since your pagers can be in a subfolder within the same branch.

Note: that is an old approach I mentioned back in 2011 (stackoverflow.com/a/8148319/6309), based on Mark Longair's answer (stackoverflow.com/a/5296433/6309). But at the time, submodules did not follow branches, and you could not push everything in one go.
You lost me here: "Whenever you are making changes in gh-pages folder, don't forget to commit there". If I run your code in shell it works but if I try to do a normal commit of any kind with Git for windows (desktop) I get an error saying to add the submodel with shell or remove the .git file
I tried this answer but no dice: stackoverflow.com/questions/5542910/…
@Blizzardengle I have detailled the "dn't forget to commit there" step. And I have added the commit you must do after the initial submodule add. Clone your repo again, and try again those steps. (in command line only. GitHub Desktop is a GUI which wraps and obfuscates what is really going on: you don't need it)
I have been up all night trying to modify this and only have two things to say. 1) Its works, thank you. 2) It does not answer my OP where I asked for a non-shell solution. My goal and burning desire is to use Gits window GUI and not the shell every time. I made a pre-commit hook and even a pre-push hook to auto commit the submodule changes before my GUI commits and no dice. But again if I did that manually in the shell it works...not happy with it but it works.

SnehalK · Accepted Answer · 2016-02-09 07:22:22Z

What's the problem with the hook script you wrote ? What were the contents of the branch gh-pages when you created it?

I had created an empty branch gh-pages with below command:

git checkout --orphan gh-pages git rm -rf . touch README.txt git add README.txt git commit -m "Initial commit" git push -u origin gh-pages

Then I ran below script as a part of post-receive hook and it worked for me.

#!/bin/bash branch=`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD` if [ "master" == "$branch" ]; then git fetch && git checkout gh-pages git checkout master -- gh-pages git add -A git commit -m "Updating project website from 'master' branch." git push -u origin gh-pages fi done

I don't understand your code so I think you may have misunderstood. For some reason my hook wont run but if I run all that myself in shell it kinda works. All it did was copy every changed file from my whole master branch into gh-pages which is not what I need. github.com/blizzardengle/barebones-framework
I edited my question to point out the part that is not working.
This never worked as is because branch=git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD needs to be $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD). It also copied over more than what it was supposed to, namely the gh-pages directory. It is a quick solution and can be consider an answer but @VonC answer hits the nail more on the head.
we would make a shell to handle the expected task as I suggested yesterday. However I agree VonC's answer is the deserving one ..

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