Yellow-Bike-Database-Mirror

README.portable (Draft)

=======================



This "portable" version of Git for Windows (MSysGit) does not need to

be installed. It will run from any directory you place it in, even

onto a USB thumbdrive. It will not write permanent entries into the 

Windows registry. It does not need administrator privileges to "install".





Installation

------------



This package is contained in a 7-zip archive with a file name like

'PortableGit-<versionstring>.7z'.  It is a self-extracting archive:

add the file extension '.exe', and you can (double-)click it; you'll be

asked for the desired target directory (which defaults to C:\Program

Files\Git). You may change that as needed or desired. Your user account

needs write access to the selected directory. (You can move that

directory with all its contents to a different place or computer at any

time should you later desire so).





Functional differences to "normal" MSysGit installation package

---------------------------------------------------------------



This version does not offer you the convenient right-click context menu

entries "Git GUI Here" and "Git Bash Here", because these would require

to add entries into the Windows registry.





Warning

-------



Since this portable package does not modify any Windows %path%

variables, it is not possible to run the git.exe and gitk.exe files

directly. Start the Git Bash or Git Cmd instead, or add the cmd/ folder

to your %path%.





How to start using PortableGit

------------------------------



If you are comfortable with a Unix-like shell, just launch 'git-bash.bat'.



If not, just launch 'git-cmd.bat'.



Alternatively, you can execute these commands to modify the %path%

variable temporarily:



        set gitdir=c:\portablegit

        set path=%gitdir%\cmd;%path%



Adjust the 'gitdir' according to your setup.  As long as you do not

close the command window, you can now simply type "git" or "gitk" to

really call "c:\portablegit\cmd\git.cmd" or "c:\portablegit\cmd\gitk.cmd".





Quick start

-----------



Start configuring git with your personal settings:

        git config --global user.name "Joe Sixpack"

        git config --global user.email joe.sixpack@g_mail.com



Start using git:

        git --help





How to change %path% permanently

--------------------------------



You may also want to make the modification to the %path% variable a

permanent one. The %path% variable may be changed:



* either on a System level (for all users in the lower pane), if you are

  an Administrator

* or for your own user account only (in the upper pane).



To change the %path% variable permanently:



* right-click "My Computer",

* select "Properties",

* open "Advanced",

* click "Environment Variables",

* highlight the "Path" variable,

* click "Edit" (either in upper or in lower pane),

* add your specific path to front of "Variable value" field, separated

  by a semicolon from the existing entry.