Git-svn: Create & Push a New Branch/Tag

Using git-svn, a tool that allows interaction between Git and SVN (Subversion), can be particularly useful in environments where you need to work with both systems concurrently. This article will guide you through the process of creating and pushing a new branch or tag using git-svn.

Understanding Git-svn

git-svn is a Git command that enables a bidirectional gateway between a Subversion repository and a Git repository. This allows developers to enjoy the benefits of Git's powerful feature set while still interacting with an SVN server.

When working with git-svn, information is fetched from an SVN repository into a local Git repository format, making it possible to perform local commits and then synchronize back to SVN. It’s highly beneficial when you're required to contribute to projects hosted in SVN but prefer using Git locally.

Key Concepts

• Tags and Branches in SVN and Git: In SVN, branches and tags are essentially directories, often organized under /branches and /tags. In Git, they are references to commits, allowing more flexibility in terms of structure and collaboration.
• SVN References Initialization: Before creating branches or tags with git-svn, ensure that your Git repository is initialized with the correct SVN repository trunk, branches, and tags using the --trunk, --branches, and --tags options.

Creating a New Branch or Tag with Git-svn

Setting Up Your Environment

Before creating a branch or tag, make sure you have a git-svn initialized repository. Here's a quick setup:

• Repository Layout Assumptions: When you clone an SVN repository with --stdlayout, Git assumes the standard SVN directory layout with /trunk, /branches, and /tags.
• Interaction Limitations: While git-svn provides a robust gateway, some Git features (e.g., rebase on branches) might behave differently due to SVN’s linear history.
• Committing: Use git svn dcommit to push changes committed to branches back to SVN.
• Mapping SVN Authors to Git Users: Use authors.txt file to map SVN users to Git users.
• Fetching Updates: Regularly use git svn fetch to keep up with changes to the SVN repository.
• Resolving Conflicts: In case of conflicts during git svn dcommit or git svn rebase, resolve them as you would standard Git conflicts.