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   git-read-tree    ( 1 )

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SPARSE CHECKOUT

"Sparse checkout" allows populating the working directory
       sparsely. It uses the skip-worktree bit (see git-update-index(1))
       to tell Git whether a file in the working directory is worth
       looking at.

       git read-tree and other merge-based commands (git merge, git
       checkout...) can help maintaining the skip-worktree bitmap and
       working directory update. $GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout is used
       to define the skip-worktree reference bitmap. When git read-tree
       needs to update the working directory, it resets the
       skip-worktree bit in the index based on this file, which uses the
       same syntax as .gitignore files. If an entry matches a pattern in
       this file, skip-worktree will not be set on that entry.
       Otherwise, skip-worktree will be set.

       Then it compares the new skip-worktree value with the previous
       one. If skip-worktree turns from set to unset, it will add the
       corresponding file back. If it turns from unset to set, that file
       will be removed.

       While $GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout is usually used to specify
       what files are in, you can also specify what files are not in,
       using negate patterns. For example, to remove the file unwanted:

           /*
           !unwanted

       Another tricky thing is fully repopulating the working directory
       when you no longer want sparse checkout. You cannot just disable
       "sparse checkout" because skip-worktree bits are still in the
       index and your working directory is still sparsely populated. You
       should re-populate the working directory with the
       $GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout file content as follows:

           /*

       Then you can disable sparse checkout. Sparse checkout support in
       git read-tree and similar commands is disabled by default. You
       need to turn core.sparseCheckout on in order to have sparse
       checkout support.

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