X-Git-Url: https://git.octo.it/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=Documentation%2Fgit-init-db.txt;h=8a150d861f5b4c3dc468d46fa09dbfce5be020fc;hb=HEAD;hp=ef1826ae672cb6537d497d027e5babe4988a42b0;hpb=1301c6eb412e7c5511b952a12e42c70ad56f028b;p=git.git

diff --git a/Documentation/git-init-db.txt b/Documentation/git-init-db.txt
index ef1826ae..8a150d86 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-init-db.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-init-db.txt
@@ -8,22 +8,64 @@ git-init-db - Creates an empty git repository
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
-'git-init-db'
+'git-init-db' [--template=<template_directory>] [--shared]
+
+
+OPTIONS
+-------
+--template=<template_directory>::
+	Provide the directory from which templates will be used.
+	The default template directory is `/usr/share/git-core/templates`.
+
+--shared::
+	Specify that the git repository is to be shared amongst several users.
+
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
-This simply creates an empty git repository - basically a `.git` directory
-and `.git/object/??/`, `.git/refs/heads` and `.git/refs/tags` directories,
-and links `.git/HEAD` symbolically to `.git/refs/heads/master`.
+This command creates an empty git repository - basically a `.git` directory
+with subdirectories for `objects`, `refs/heads`, `refs/tags`, and
+templated files.
+An initial `HEAD` file that references the HEAD of the master branch
+is also created.
+
+If `--template=<template_directory>` is specified, `<template_directory>`
+is used as the source of the template files rather than the default.
+The template files include some directory structure, some suggested
+"exclude patterns", and copies of non-executing "hook" files.  The
+suggested patterns and hook files are all modifiable and extensible.
 
-If the 'GIT_DIR' environment variable is set then it specifies a path
+If the `$GIT_DIR` environment variable is set then it specifies a path
 to use instead of `./.git` for the base of the repository.
 
-If the object storage directory is specified via the 'GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY'
+If the object storage directory is specified via the `$GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY`
 environment variable then the sha1 directories are created underneath -
 otherwise the default `$GIT_DIR/objects` directory is used.
 
-"git-init-db" won't hurt an existing repository.
+A shared repository allows users belonging to the same group to push into that
+repository. When specifying `--shared` the config variable "core.sharedRepository" 
+is set to 'true' so that directories under `$GIT_DIR` are made group writable
+(and g+sx, since the git group may be not the primary group of all users).
+
+Running `git-init-db` in an existing repository is safe. It will not overwrite
+things that are already there. The primary reason for rerunning `git-init-db`
+is to pick up newly added templates.
+
+
+
+EXAMPLES
+--------
+
+Start a new git repository for an existing code base::
++
+----------------
+$ cd /path/to/my/codebase
+$ git-init-db   <1>
+$ git-add .     <2>
+----------------
++
+<1> prepare /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory
+<2> add all existing file to the index
 
 
 Author