How to checkout git repo subdirectory into current directory?

Question

There is a remote repo with directory structure:

-directory1
    -file1_1
    -file1_2
    ...
-directory2
    -file2_1
    -file2_2
    ...

I have a folder on a web hosting with a custom name, say, "/path/public_html".

How do I set up git on the web hosting, so my "public_html" tracks a subdirectory "directory2" of a remote repo?

So, in other words, I want to execute some form of git command on the web hosting and update public_html to the latest content of "directory2". I don't care about pushing back to repo from web hosting, if it helps.

Answer 1

I don't care about pushing back to repo from web hosting

In this case you could use the archive command. Something like this:

git archive --remote=remote_repo --format=tar branch_name  path/to/directory2 > /path/public_html/dir2.tar && cd /path/public_html && tar xvf dir2.tar

Answer 2

You cannot clone directly directory2 content, only directory2 and its content, meaning you always have a directory2/ folder on your disk.

If you want to see directory2 content in public_html (meaning not public_html/directory2/...), then you need a symlink.

That being said, you can still clone and checkout only directory2 folder, instead of cloning the full repo, as described in "Is it possible to do a sparse checkout without checking out the whole repository first?"

That is:

git init /a/path
cd /a/path
git config core.sparseCheckout true
git remote add -f origin /url/remote/repo
echo "directory2/" > .git/info/sparse-checkout
git checkout [branchname] # ex: master

That would give a a/path/directory2 folder, than your public_html can symlink to.

If having a directory2 folder in public_html does not bother you, then you could repeat the above commands in public_html instead of a/path.