Making the UBVCS Repository Load Faster

Operating System: Any

Applies To: Faculty or Staff using CaaS  

Last Updated: October 30, 2024

This document assumes you have been using the UBVCS web interface to manage your repository.  You can skip step 1 if you are already using SmartGit to manage your repository.

1. Clone your existing repository:
   1. Open SmartGit
   2. Close the Welcome to SmartGit window (if it pops up)
   3. Select Clone from the Repository menu (upper left corner of the window)
   4. Enter the SSH URI for your repository in the Repository URL box and click Next
   5. Select the Private Key File you downloaded in Step 2 of How to add code to UBVCS using SmartGit and click Login (if prompted)
      
   6. Click Next
   7. Select a location to store a local copy of your repository and click Finish
2. Back up your files (just in case):
   1. Select Reveal in Explorer from the Tools menu
   2. Copy the directory containing your files to another location
3. Delete your commit history:
   
   1. Open the directory you created using SmartGit
   2. Delete the .git folder
   3. Close the Explorer window and return to SmartGit
4. Re-initialize your repository:
   
   1. Select Add or Create... from the Repository menu
   2. The directory containing your repository should already be selected.  Click OK
   3. Click Initialize
5. Re-add UBVCS as the remote repository for your files:
   
   1. Open the Remote menu and select Add
      
   2. Enter the SSH URI for the repository again and click Add
6. Re-Commit your files:
   
   1. Select all of your files (or just the files you want in the repository) from the pane on the right
   2. Right click on one of the files
   3. Select Commit
   4. Enter a Commit Message (e.g. Cleared commit history)
   5. Check the box to Amend last commit instead of creating a new one
   6. Select Commit
7. Update the repository:
   1. Select Pull from the Remote menu
   2. Click Pull
   3. Click Configure
   4. Click Fetch Only
   5. Select Push To from the Remote menu
   6. Check the box to Force pushing and click Push

Your commit history should now only have one entry and your repository should load quickly again.