'\" t
.\"     Title: git-archimport
.\"    Author: [FIXME: author] [see http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/author]
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.79.2 <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\"      Date: 2025-10-13
.\"    Manual: Git Manual
.\"    Source: Git 2.51.0.511.gac7d021f06
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "GIT\-ARCHIMPORT" "1" "2025-10-13" "Git 2\&.51\&.0\&.511\&.gac7d02" "Git Manual"
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.SH "NAME"
git-archimport \- Import a GNU Arch repository into Git
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.sp
.nf
\fIgit archimport\fR [\-h] [\-v] [\-o] [\-a] [\-f] [\-T] [\-D <depth>] [\-t <tempdir>]
               <archive>/<branch>[:<git\-branch>]\&...\:
.fi
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.sp
Imports a project from one or more GNU Arch repositories\&. It will follow branches and repositories within the namespaces defined by the <archive>/<branch> parameters supplied\&. If it cannot find the remote branch a merge comes from it will just import it as a regular commit\&. If it can find it, it will mark it as a merge whenever possible (see discussion below)\&.
.sp
The script expects you to provide the key roots where it can start the import from an \fIinitial import\fR or \fItag\fR type of Arch commit\&. It will follow and import new branches within the provided roots\&.
.sp
It expects to be dealing with one project only\&. If it sees branches that have different roots, it will refuse to run\&. In that case, edit your <archive>/<branch> parameters to define clearly the scope of the import\&.
.sp
\fIgit archimport\fR uses \fBtla\fR extensively in the background to access the Arch repository\&. Make sure you have a recent version of \fBtla\fR available in the path\&. \fBtla\fR must know about the repositories you pass to \fIgit archimport\fR\&.
.sp
For the initial import, \fIgit archimport\fR expects to find itself in an empty directory\&. To follow the development of a project that uses Arch, rerun \fIgit archimport\fR with the same parameters as the initial import to perform incremental imports\&.
.sp
While \fIgit archimport\fR will try to create sensible branch names for the archives that it imports, it is also possible to specify Git branch names manually\&. To do so, write a Git branch name after each <archive>/<branch> parameter, separated by a colon\&. This way, you can shorten the Arch branch names and convert Arch jargon to Git jargon, for example mapping a "PROJECT\-\-devo\-\-VERSION" branch to "master"\&.
.sp
Associating multiple Arch branches to one Git branch is possible; the result will make the most sense only if no commits are made to the first branch, after the second branch is created\&. Still, this is useful to convert Arch repositories that had been rotated periodically\&.
.SH "MERGES"
.sp
Patch merge data from Arch is used to mark merges in Git as well\&. Git does not care much about tracking patches, and only considers a merge when a branch incorporates all the commits since the point they forked\&. The end result is that Git will have a good idea of how far branches have diverged\&. So the import process does lose some patch\-trading metadata\&.
.sp
Fortunately, when you try and merge branches imported from Arch, Git will find a good merge base, and it has a good chance of identifying patches that have been traded out\-of\-sequence between the branches\&.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.PP
\-h
.RS 4
Display usage\&.
.RE
.PP
\-v
.RS 4
Verbose output\&.
.RE
.PP
\-T
.RS 4
Many tags\&. Will create a tag for every commit, reflecting the commit name in the Arch repository\&.
.RE
.PP
\-f
.RS 4
Use the fast patchset import strategy\&. This can be significantly faster for large trees, but cannot handle directory renames or permissions changes\&. The default strategy is slow and safe\&.
.RE
.PP
\-o
.RS 4
Use this for compatibility with old\-style branch names used by earlier versions of
\fIgit archimport\fR\&. Old\-style branch names were category\-\-branch, whereas new\-style branch names are archive,category\-\-branch\-\-version\&. In both cases, names given on the command\-line will override the automatically\-generated ones\&.
.RE
.PP
\-D <depth>
.RS 4
Follow merge ancestry and attempt to import trees that have been merged from\&. Specify a depth greater than 1 if patch logs have been pruned\&.
.RE
.PP
\-a
.RS 4
Attempt to auto\-register archives at
\fBhttp://mirrors\&.sourcecontrol\&.net\fR
This is particularly useful with the \-D option\&.
.RE
.PP
\-t <tmpdir>
.RS 4
Override the default tempdir\&.
.RE
.PP
<archive>/<branch>
.RS 4
<archive>/<branch> identifier in a format that
\fBtla\fR
\fBlog\fR
understands\&.
.RE
.SH "GIT"
.sp
Part of the \fBgit\fR(1) suite