Aptana with Git and Dropbox

Question

I'm new to Git, and would like to know how to set up Git to store its repository on Dropbox from the commands available in the Aptana (very similar to Eclipse) UI.

In Aptana Studio 2, I installed Git via Help > Install Aptana Features. When I right-click my Aptana project > Team > Share Project, it shows a "Configure Git Repository" dialog. There is a checkbox that reads "Use or create Repository in parent folder of project" which seems to leave me with 2 options:

1. When I check it, it wants to create the repository under the local project directory which is outside of Dropbox, so I don't think this is what I want.
2. When unchecked, it wants me to create the Git repository, and when I specify my Dropbox\git directory as the Parent Directory and click Finish, it moves all my local project files into Dropbox\git and sets the working directory there as well. Is this what is supposed to happen??

Can't I have the repository on Dropbox but keep my local project files where they are? And then I could pull down from the Dropbox repository from any other machines that I use and create local project files on those machines? Or is this not what people do with Git and Dropbox?

Thanks, Andy

Answer 1

Can't I have the repository on Dropbox but keep my local project files where they are?

In theory, yes, by specifying the environment variable GIT_DIR to the .git repo in your dropbox directory, but I doubt Aptana will support that kind of configuration.

An simpler solution would be:

• to create the git repo in "parent folder of project", as natively supported by Aptana,
• have a bundle of that same repo in your Dropbox directory (meaning only one file to synchronize).
  See "Git with Dropbox" and "How to use git-bundle for keeping development in sync" for more.