tj.git-extras/bin/git-cp

#!/usr/bin/env bash
PROGRAM=$0
CURRENT_FILENAME=""
DESTINATION_FILENAME=""

function current_branch() {
    git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
}

function usage()
{
    echo "USAGE: ${PROGRAM} CURRENT_FILENAME DESTINATION_FILENAME"
}

while [[ $# > 0 ]]
do
  key="$1"
  
  if [[ "$CURRENT_FILENAME" == "" ]]; then
      CURRENT_FILENAME=$key
  elif [[ "$DESTINATION_FILENAME" == "" ]]; then
      DESTINATION_FILENAME=$key
  else
      usage
      exit 30  # Error during arguments parsing
  fi
  shift  # past argument or value
done

if [[ "$DESTINATION_FILENAME" == "" ]]; then
    usage
    exit 20  # Missing arguments CURRENT_FILENAME
elif [[ "$CURRENT_FILENAME" == "" ]]; then
    usage
    exit 10  # Missing arguments CURRENT_FILENAME
else
    echo "Coping $CURRENT_FILENAME into $DESTINATION_FILENAME"
    INTERMEDIATE_FILENAME="${CURRENT_FILENAME//\//__}-move-to-${DESTINATION_FILENAME//\//__}"

    # We keep the existing file on the side in a commit
    git mv "${CURRENT_FILENAME}" "${INTERMEDIATE_FILENAME}"
    git commit -nm "Keep $CURRENT_FILENAME"
    SAVED=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

    # We come back to the previous state
    git reset --hard HEAD^  # Revert that change

    # We move the file to its new destination
    git mv "${CURRENT_FILENAME}" "${DESTINATION_FILENAME}"
    git add "${DESTINATION_FILENAME}"
    git commit -nm "Copy $CURRENT_FILENAME into $DESTINATION_FILENAME"

    # We get back our copy
    rm -f "${DESTINATION_FILENAME}"  # Make sure the file doesn't exists somehow
    git merge ${SAVED}
    git commit -a -m "Duplicate ${CURRENT_FILENAME} history."  # Keeping both files

    # We get back our original name
    git mv "${INTERMEDIATE_FILENAME}" "${CURRENT_FILENAME}"
    git commit -nm "Set back $CURRENT_FILENAME file."
fi