git – destination path already exists and is not an empty directory

git – destination path already exists and is not an empty directory

Explanation

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This is pretty vague but Ill do what I can to help.

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First, while it may seem daunting at first, I suggest you learn how to do things from the command line (called terminal on OSX). This is a great way to make sure youre putting things where you really want to.

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You should definitely google unix commands to learn more, but here are a few important commands to help in this situation:

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ls – list all files and directories (folders) in current directory

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cd <input directory here without these brackets> – change directory, or change the folder youre looking in

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mkdir <input directory name without brackets> – Makes a new directory (be careful, you will have to cd into the directory after you make it)

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rm -r <input directory name without brackets> – Removes a directory and everything inside it

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git clone <link to repo without brackets> – Clones the repository into the directory you are currently browsing.

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Answer

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So, on my computer, I would run the following commands to create a directory (folder) called projects within my documents folder and clone a repo there.

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   1. Open terminal

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1. 1. cd documents (Not case sensitive on mac)

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1. 1. mkdir projects

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1. 1. cd projects

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1. 1. git clone https://github.com/seanbecker15/wherecanifindit.git

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1. 1. cd wherecanifindit (if I want to go into the directory)

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p.s. wherecanifindit is just the name of my git repository, not a command!

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This error comes up when you try to clone a repository in a folder which still contains .git folder (Hidden folder).

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If the earlier answers doesnt work then you can proceed with my answer. Hope it will solve your issue.

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Open terminal & change the directory to the destination folder (where you want to clone).

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Now type: ls -a

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You may see a folder named .git.

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You have to remove that folder by the following command: rm -rf .git

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Now you are ready to clone your project.

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git – destination path already exists and is not an empty directory

Steps to get this error ;

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   1. Clone a repo (for eg take name as xyz)in a folder

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1. 1. Not try to clone again in the same folder . Even after deleting the folder manually this error will come since deleting folder doesnt delete git info .

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Solution :nrm -rf name of repo folder which in out case is xyz . So

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rm -rf xyzn

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