Code Repository

Mesa uses git as its source code management system.

The master git repository is hosted on freedesktop.org.

You may access the repository either as an anonymous user (read-only) or as a developer (read/write).

You may also browse the main Mesa git repository and the Mesa demos and tests git repository.

Anonymous git Access

To get the Mesa sources anonymously (read-only):

1. Install the git software on your computer if needed.
   
   
2. Get an initial, local copy of the repository with:

       git clone https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa.git
       

3. Later, you can update your tree from the master repository with:

       git pull origin
       

4. If you also want the Mesa demos/tests repository:

       git clone https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/demos.git
       

Developer git Access

If you wish to become a Mesa developer with git-write privilege, please follow this procedure:

1. Subscribe to the mesa-dev mailing list.
2. Start contributing to the project by submitting patches to the mesa-dev list. Specifically,
   • Use git send-mail to post your patches to mesa-dev.
   • Wait for someone to review the code and give you a Reviewed-by statement.
   • You'll have to rely on another Mesa developer to push your initial patches after they've been reviewed.
3. After you've demonstrated the ability to write good code and have had a dozen or so patches accepted you can apply for an account.
4. Occasionally, but rarely, someone may be given a git account sooner, but only if they're being supervised by another Mesa developer at the same organization and planning to work in a limited area of the code or on a separate branch.
5. To apply for an account, follow these directions. It's also appreciated if you briefly describe what you intend to do (work on a particular driver, add a new extension, etc.) in the bugzilla record.

Once your account is established, you can update your push url to use SSH:

git remote set-url --push origin git@gitlab.freedesktop.org:mesa/mesa.git

You can also use personal access tokens to push over HTTPS instead (useful for people behind strict proxies). In this case, create a token, and put it in the url as shown here:

git remote set-url --push origin https://USER:TOKEN@gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa.git

Windows Users

If you're using git on Windows you'll want to enable automatic CR/LF conversion in your local copy of the repository:

   git config --global core.autocrlf true

This will cause git to convert all text files to CR+LF on checkout, and to LF on commit.

Unix users don't need to set this option.

Development Branches

At any given time, there may be several active branches in Mesa's repository. Generally, master contains the latest development (unstable) code while a branch has the latest stable code.

The command git branch will list all available branches.

Questions about branch status/activity should be posted to the mesa-dev mailing list.

Developer Git Tips

1. Setting up to edit the master branch

   If you try to do a pull by just saying git pull and git complains that you have not specified a branch, try:

       git config branch.master.remote origin
       git config branch.master.merge master
   

   Otherwise, you have to say git pull origin master each time you do a pull.

2. Small changes to master

   If you are an experienced git user working on substantial modifications, you are probably working on a separate branch and would rebase your branch prior to merging with master. But for small changes to the master branch itself, you also need to use the rebase feature in order to avoid an unnecessary and distracting branch in master.

   If it has been awhile since you've done the initial clone, try

       git pull
   

   to get the latest files before you start working.

   Make your changes and use

       git add <files to commit>
       git commit
   

   to get your changes ready to push back into the fd.o repository.

   It is possible (and likely) that someone has changed master since you did your last pull. Even if your changes do not conflict with their changes, git will make a fast-forward merge branch, branching from the point in time where you did your last pull and merging it to a point after the other changes.

   To avoid this,

       git pull --rebase
       git push
   

   If you are familiar with CVS or similar system, this is similar to doing a cvs update in order to update your source tree to the current repository state, instead of the time you did the last update. (CVS doesn't work like git in this respect, but this is easiest way to explain it.)
   In any case, your repository now looks like you made your changes after all the other changes.

   If the rebase resulted in conflicts or changes that could affect the proper operation of your changes, you'll need to investigate those before doing the push.

   If you want the rebase action to be the default action, then

       git config branch.master.rebase true
       git config --global branch.autosetuprebase=always
   

   See Understanding Git Conceptually for a fairly clear explanation about all of this.