So as we move further into github, it is becoming of interest to sometimes find a previous version of a port within the macports git era. These instructions <https://trac.macports.org/wiki/howto/InstallingOlderPort> work fine up until the move to github.
It's easy enough to find the portfile of interest, and to roll back in the history of that single portfile to previous versions. But it's also necessary to download any associated files in the files directory for the port that match that portfile at that time, and that part appears a bit more difficult. Looking at <http://stackoverflow.com/questions/600079/how-do-i-clone-a-subdirectory-only-of-a-git-repository/13738951#13738951> for an efficient use of space I *think* what needs to be done is a sparse checkout (of only the directory holding the port) with a shallow clone (to get the port at that point in time but not the whole history) at a specific point in the commit history (to get the version you want). Ugh. There are steps for the sparse checkout of the shallow clone there in the stackoverflow example, but the part about the specific point in the commit history is not there yet. Any ideas? perhaps just do a sparse checkout without a shallow clone, and go back in the history that way? Thanks, Ken
