git-baseless-commit

#!/bin/sh
#
# WHY!?
#
# The purpose of this command is to allow me to create a snapshot of a
# tree without history.  My primary use for such a thing is to
# distribute large generated documentation sets as gh-pages for
# github.
#

msg="$@"

if [ -z "$msg" ]
then
        echo "Usage:  git baseless-commit my awesome commit message"
        exit 1
fi

thisbranch=`git symbolic-ref HEAD`
oldhead=`git rev-parse HEAD`

if [ $thisbranch != refs/heads/gh-pages ]
then
    echo "You're currently on a branch called $thisbranch"
    echo "If you're OK destroying that branch, hit enter, otherwise hit ^C"
    read all_about_it
fi

tree=`git write-tree`
commit=`echo "$msg" | git commit-tree $tree`
git symbolic-ref -m "git baseless-commit" HEAD $thisbranch
git reset --hard $commit

echo "If you messed up and destroyed something on accident, you can"
echo "still get your old head back: $oldhead"