Working with Eclipse .classpath and project files in Git?

Question

My firm is moving from PVCS to Git and I would like to know how can it help with the issues..

The current process is

• We check everything out of PVCS
• We then open Eclipse and Import the files in
• We then have to fix the .classpath and profile file due to all the stuff not having jars in same place
• Lock File in PVCS
• Make Changes in Eclipse
• Copy File from Eclipse workspace to PVCS folder
• Unlock File

--- That was the current process, very long and room for error

What I would like to move everything to git and just do a git pull but I dont want the .classpath and project file issue like I have in PVCS all the time.. I am thinking can I tell git to only read the .classpath and project file and never update it?

I would love to hear how old eclipse using are working with git and ant.. thanks

Answer 1

You should put the .classpath file in .gitignore so that it never enters git in the first place.
This way, each developer will have a purely local copy.

To manage your dependencies, you should use Maven; its pom.xml is machine-independent and can live in git, and Eclipse can generate everything else from that file.