Using git on Windows

Git in Windows is currently (11/2011) in a sorry state of affairs. This is mainly due to msysgit being the "official git Windows client" and being a big bloated sac of crap. Egit via Eclipse is a nice gui alternative, and TortoiseGit may get polished enough some day. But we want to use it from Windows batch files. Enough whining, let's do it.

• Install msysgit
  • Tell it to use external plink for ssh
  • You want it to be reachable from the Windows path, select this option during the install (or add it yourself)
• Make sure putty is installed with a valid ssh session, and remember to fire up pageant with your ssh key imported before using git
• Install notepad++, a nice reliable simple Windows editor.
  • Set up a batch file to run notepad++ – make sure that the batch file does not have any spaces or quotes in the path to it – I named mine [c:\npp.bat].

#!/bin/sh
"C:/Michae~1/System~1/npp/notepad++.exe" -multiInst "$*"

• From a command prompt, configure git to use the editor as follows:

git config --global core.editor C:/npp.bat

• Set up a scripts directory in your Windows path. Mine is: C:\Michael's Data\development\thedigitalage\hangthedj\windows_scripts
• Set up an "update" script like this:

@echo off
c:
set BASEDIR=C:\Michael's Data\development

set EDITOR=C:/npp.bat

echo --- log
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/log
call git pull
echo --- hangthedj
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/hangthedj
call git pull
echo --- ampache_tda
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/ampache_tda/3.5
call git pull
echo --- website
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/website
call git pull
echo --- philanthropy_engine
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/philanthropy_engine
call git pull
echo --- Reusable
cd %BASEDIR%/Reusable
call git pull

• Set up a "commit" script like this:

@echo off
c:
set BASEDIR=C:\Michael's Data\development

set EDITOR=C:/npp.bat

echo --- log
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/log && call git commit -a -m "Another log commit, from wimpy-windows" && call git push
echo --- hangthedj
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/hangthedj && call git commit -a && call git push
echo --- ampache_tda
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/ampache_tda/3.5 && call git commit -a && call git push
echo --- website
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/website && call git commit -a && call git push
echo --- philanthropy_engine
cd %BASEDIR%/thedigitalage/philanthropy_engine && call git commit -a && call git push
echo --- Reusable
cd %BASEDIR%/Reusable && call git commit -a && call git push

• You can call your scripts to get the job done. You can also use git right from any command prompt now. Yay!