GitLab

While Git repositories with a working folder usually display overlay icons to represent the status of folders and files, bare repositories don't. They look like ordinary folders, but should not be manipulated in any way by the user.

I recommend to indicate the special nature of those bare repository folders by using the Windows possibility to display another icon than the standard folder icon, for example the Git icon.

Example

• bare1.git: Bare repository as proposed
• bare2.git: Bare repository as usual
• workfolder: Normal repository for development as usual

Realization

This can be done automatically by some simple actions:

• Create a desktop.ini file in the bare repository's main folder with this plain text content:

[.ShellClassInfo] IconResource=git.ico

• Store an icon file with the Git logo in the same folder, and name it git.ico.
• Set the system attribute for the Git folder.

This shall automatically be done if the user creates a bare repository by TortoiseGit (ideally also if the command git init --bare foldername is used).