--(no-)-relative-marks= with the --(import|export)-marks=
options.
+--cat-blob-fd=<fd>::
+ Specify the file descriptor that will be written to
+ when the `cat-blob` command is encountered in the stream.
+ The default behaviour is to write to `stdout`.
+
--export-pack-edges=<file>::
After creating a packfile, print a line of data to
<file> listing the filename of the packfile and the last
standard output. This command is optional and is not needed
to perform an import.
+`cat-blob`::
+ Causes fast-import to print a blob in 'cat-file --batch'
+ format to the file descriptor set with `--cat-blob-fd` or
+ `stdout` if unspecified.
+
`feature`::
Require that fast-import supports the specified feature, or
abort if it does not.
If an `LF` or double quote must be encoded into `<path>` shell-style
quoting should be used, e.g. `"path/with\n and \" in it"`.
-Additionally, in `040000` mode, `<path>` may also be an empty string
-(`""`) to specify the root of the tree.
-
The value of `<path>` must be in canonical form. That is it must not:
* contain an empty directory component (e.g. `foo//bar` is invalid),
* contain the special component `.` or `..` (e.g. `foo/./bar` and
`foo/../bar` are invalid).
+The root of the tree can be represented by an empty string as `<path>`.
+
It is recommended that `<path>` always be encoded using UTF-8.
`filedelete`
inform the reader when the `checkpoint` has been completed and it
can safely access the refs that fast-import updated.
-`feature`
-~~~~~~~~~
-Require that fast-import supports the specified feature, or abort if
-it does not.
+`cat-blob`
+~~~~~~~~~~
+Causes fast-import to print a blob to a file descriptor previously
+arranged with the `--cat-blob-fd` argument. The command otherwise
+has no impact on the current import; its main purpose is to
+retrieve blobs that may be in fast-import's memory but not
+accessible from the target repository.
....
- 'feature' SP <feature> LF
+ 'cat-blob' SP <dataref> LF
....
-The <feature> part of the command may be any string matching
-^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z-]*$ and should be understood by fast-import.
+The `<dataref>` can be either a mark reference (`:<idnum>`)
+set previously or a full 40-byte SHA-1 of a Git blob, preexisting or
+ready to be written.
-Feature work identical as their option counterparts with the
-exception of the import-marks feature, see below.
+Output uses the same format as `git cat-file --batch`:
-The following features are currently supported:
+====
+ <sha1> SP 'blob' SP <size> LF
+ <contents> LF
+====
-* date-format
-* import-marks
-* export-marks
-* relative-marks
-* no-relative-marks
-* force
+This command can be used anywhere in the stream that comments are
+accepted. In particular, the `cat-blob` command can be used in the
+middle of a commit but not in the middle of a `data` command.
+
+`feature`
+~~~~~~~~~
+Require that fast-import supports the specified feature, or abort if
+it does not.
+
+....
+ 'feature' SP <feature> ('=' <argument>)? LF
+....
-The import-marks behaves differently from when it is specified as
-commandline option in that only one "feature import-marks" is allowed
-per stream. Also, any --import-marks= specified on the commandline
-will override those from the stream (if any).
+The <feature> part of the command may be any one of the following:
+
+date-format::
+export-marks::
+relative-marks::
+no-relative-marks::
+force::
+ Act as though the corresponding command-line option with
+ a leading '--' was passed on the command line
+ (see OPTIONS, above).
+
+import-marks::
+ Like --import-marks except in two respects: first, only one
+ "feature import-marks" command is allowed per stream;
+ second, an --import-marks= command-line option overrides
+ any "feature import-marks" command in the stream.
+
+cat-blob::
+ Ignored. Versions of fast-import not supporting the
+ "cat-blob" command will exit with a message indicating so.
+ This lets the import error out early with a clear message,
+ rather than wasting time on the early part of an import
+ before the unsupported command is detected.
`option`
~~~~~~~~
* date-format
* import-marks
* export-marks
+* cat-blob-fd
* force
Crash Reports
projects with 2,000+ branches and 45,114+ files in a very limited
memory footprint (less than 2.7 MiB per active branch).
+Signals
+-------
+Sending *SIGUSR1* to the 'git fast-import' process ends the current
+packfile early, simulating a `checkpoint` command. The impatient
+operator can use this facility to peek at the objects and refs from an
+import in progress, at the cost of some added running time and worse
+compression.
Author
------