Git: How to pull a single file from a server repository in Git?

Question

I am working on a site with a server running Git. I am using Git for deployment (not GitHub). This was set up prior to my involvement using a hook method, and I referred to this question and entered the commands below, but it didn't work.

How do I pull a single file from the server? For instance, if I wanted to update my local file index.php? git pull index.php?

Solution 1

Short Answer

It is possible to do (in the deployed repository):

git fetch --all
// git fetch will download all the recent changes, but it will not put it in your current checked out code (working area).

Followed by:

git checkout origin/master -- path/to/file
// git checkout <local repo name (default is origin)>/<branch name> -- path/to/file will checkout the particular file from the downloaded changes (origin/master).

Full Example

$ cd /project/directory

$ git branch
* develop

check the remote name

$ git remote -v
origin [email protected]:abc/123.git

Confirmed it's origin and

I am on branch develop and need a file from branch main

File i need is src/scss/main.scss

git fetch --all

git checkout origin/main -- src/scss/main.scss

Solution 2

git fetch --all
git checkout origin/master -- <your_file_path>
git add <your_file_path>
git commit -m "<your_file_name> updated"

This is assuming you are pulling the file from origin/master.

Solution 3

This can be the solution:

git fetch

git checkout origin/master -- FolderPathName/fileName

Thanks.

Solution 4

I was looking for slightly different task, but this looks like what you want:

git archive --remote=$REPO_URL HEAD:$DIR_NAME -- $FILE_NAME |
tar xO > /where/you/want/to/have.it

I mean, if you want to fetch path/to/file.xz, you will set DIR_NAME to path/to and FILE_NAME to file.xz. So, you'll end up with something like

git archive --remote=$REPO_URL HEAD:path/to -- file.xz |
tar xO > /where/you/want/to/have.it

And nobody keeps you from any other form of unpacking instead of tar xO of course (It was me who need a pipe here, yeah).

Solution 5

This scenario comes up when you -- or forces greater than you -- have mangled a file in your local repo and you just want to restore a fresh copy of the latest version of it from the repo. Simply deleting the file with /bin/rm (not git rm) or renaming/hiding it and then issuing a git pull will not work: git notices the file's absence and assumes you probably want it gone from the repo (git diff will show all lines deleted from the missing file).

git pull not restoring locally missing files has always frustrated me about git, perhaps since I have been influenced by other version control systems (e.g. svn update which I believe will restore files that have been locally hidden).

git reset --hard HEAD is an alternative way to restore the file of interest as it throws away any uncommitted changes you have. However, as noted here, git reset is is a potentially dangerous command if you have any other uncommitted changes that you care about.

The git fetch ... git checkout strategy noted above by @chrismillah is a nice surgical way to restore the file in question.

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Comments

[Mateusz Piotrowski]

Possible duplicate of Is it possible to pull just one file in Git?

[Ciro Santilli OurBigBook.com]

Possible duplicate of How to checkout only one file from git repository?

[vsvs]

Thank you. So what do you mean by <revision>? the file name? And if my file is in the root directory would that mean i have to type: git checkout -m index.php index.php?

[vsvs]

Thank you for the explanation.

[Bernhard Döbler]

Does it hast to be*origin*/master or can it be from any remote? Is the whole history pulled into my repo or does the file seem to appear magically?

[Eduard]

If you get this error "did not match any file(s) known to git": "path/to/file" should not be the copy of the path that you get from the file location on GitHub, meaning "repoName/fileName", you should get rid of "repoName/" and then it will work.

[chrismillah]

@BernhardDöbler it can be any branch from remote :)

[chrismillah]

@Eduard that is correct, it is your local path-- i would recommend using relative as you stated. You can use pwd in unix/linux systems to 'print working directory'. this will show you where you are for absolute paths

[Roberto Novakosky]

Attention: "git checkout master -- index.php" this dont do checkout from server, but from local git database from last pull.

[Thecave3]

way much esplicative than others comments. Thank you

[Zeitounator]

The OP specifically indicated in the question that he is not using github.

[Rajanikanta Pradhan]

Hi I am new to git, I tried with this it's working fine. But I have a doubt, git fetch command will fetch the changes from remote but will not merge the changes to working copy. But while using fetch command and checkout command(the solution you provided) how the changes are merged to the working copy, as we have not hit any merge command. I know that checkout command to switch the branch. need your help @chrismillah

[chrismillah]

@RajanikantaPradhan with that specific command for checkout, you are checking out a specific file into your working directory, not anything else. Does that help?

[Admin]

How make it renamed once.. what git command line of it?

[alper]

Why we are not doing git fetch --all instead of git fetch?

[chrismillah]

Good call @alper

[ThiagoYB]

Simple and efficient, thanks

[Legioneroff]

Thanks, dude! By me works it: git checkout origin/main -- name_of_file