[git-buildpackage] help to migrate packaging using git

[Guido Günther]

Hi,
On Mon, Dec 10, 2018 at 11:06:45PM +0100, Patrice Duroux wrote:
>    Hi,
>    Some days ago, I have sent the following message at debian-user mailing
>    list:
>    [1]https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2018/12/msg00132.html
>    But since I did not progress a lot without any answer or at least some
>    pointers to follow (Debian wiki, tutorials, ...) and also because I am not
>    very familiar with the git commands, only with CVS or related.
>    My main goal would be to migrate the (sleepy or unmaintained) abcm2ps
>    package to the nice  [2]salsa.debian.org infrastructure.
>    For that I would like to use gbp as much as possible to achieve all or
>    most of the following steps:
>    1. initialize a local git repository from the current package that does
>    not have any Debian VCS,

Did you look at gbp-import-dscs --debsnap ?

>    2. upgrade all the source content using a remote git repository and taking
>    the greatest version tag, all giving a single commit and avoiding some
>    package dependent sub-steps,
>    3. upgrade packaging.
>    First let suppose:
>    pkg=abcm2ps
>    tag=v8.14.1
>    origin=[3]https://github.com/leesavide/abcm2ps.git
>    Step 1 is done using:
>    gbp import-dsc apt:"$pkg"/sid
>    (really great!)
>    cd "$pkg"
>    git remote add origin "$origin"
>    For Step 2 I arrived to the following but that is not (at all)
>    satisfactory:
>    rm *
>    git pull origin "$tag" -Xtheirs --allow-unrelated-histories

What about using gbp-import-orig if you don't care about intermediate
commits? If you don't care about interim commits it's simpler to use
gbp-impot-orig since it does exactly that: replace everything besides
debian/ with the new upstream source. If you want to link to the
upstream-git history nevertheless look at the --upstream-vcs-tag option.

I'm cc'ing the gbp list since there might be others with better ideas or
similar use cases.

Cheers,
 -- Guido

>    But first the clean is not enough according whatever the source content
>    is, while the /debian directory has to be kept as it is (note: this is the
>    case without options -rf to rm).
>    And second the pull does not finally provides the identical source content
>    to the origin remote, some files are still missing.
>    Then Step 3 would be as usual and it should be ok (update debian/watch,
>    debian/rules, ...).
>    I hope I am clear about what I would like to have as a revive process (or
>    a schema of) so that it may be applied to any other package in a similar
>    state (if any!).
>    Many thanks,
>    Patrice
> 
> References
> 
>    Visible links
>    1. https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2018/12/msg00132.html
>    2. http://salsa.debian.org/
>    3. https://github.com/leesavide/abcm2ps.git