.TH "datalad clone" "1" "2019\-02\-08" ""datalad clone 0.11.2""
.SH NAME
\fBdatalad clone\fR \- obtain a dataset copy from a URL or local source (path)
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nh
.HP
\fBdatalad clone\fR [-h] [-d\~DATASET] [-D\~DESCRIPTION] [--reckless] [--alternative-sources SOURCE [SOURCE ...]] SOURCE [PATH]


.hy
.SH DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this command is to obtain a new clone (copy) of a dataset
and place it into a not\-yet\-existing or empty directory. As such CLONE
provides a strict subset of the functionality offered by INSTALL. Only a
single dataset can be obtained, recursion is not supported. However, once
installed, arbitrary dataset components can be obtained via a subsequent
GET command.
.PP
Primary differences over a direct `git clone` call are 1) the automatic
initialization of a dataset annex (pure Git repositories are equally
supported); 2) automatic registration of the newly obtained dataset
as a subdataset (submodule), if a parent dataset is specified;
3) support for datalad's resource identifiers and automatic generation of
alternative access URL for common cases (such as appending '.git' to the
URL in case the accessing the base URL failed); and 4) ability to
take additional alternative source locations as an argument.
.SH OPTIONS
.TP
SOURCE
URL, DataLad resource identifier, local path or instance of dataset to be cloned. Constraints: value must be a string
.TP
PATH
path to clone into. If no PATH is provided a destination path will be derived from a source URL similar to git clone. [Default: None]

.TP
\fB-h\fR, \fB--help\fR, \fB--help-np\fR
show this help message. --help-np forcefully disables the use of a pager for displaying the help message
.TP
\fB-d\fR \fI\s-1DATASET\s0\fR, \fB--dataset\fR \fI\s-1DATASET\s0\fR
(parent) dataset to clone into. If given, the newly cloned dataset is registered as a subdataset of the parent. Also, if given, relative paths are interpreted as being relative to the parent dataset, and not relative to the working directory. Constraints: Value must be a Dataset or a valid identifier of a Dataset (e.g. a path) [Default: None]
.TP
\fB-D\fR \fI\s-1DESCRIPTION\s0\fR, \fB--description\fR \fI\s-1DESCRIPTION\s0\fR
short description to use for a dataset location. Its primary purpose is to help humans to identify a dataset copy (e.g., "mike's dataset on lab server"). Note that when a dataset is published, this information becomes available on the remote side. Constraints: value must be a string [Default: None]
.TP
\fB--reckless\fR
Set up the dataset to be able to obtain content in the cheapest/fastest possible way, even if this poses a potential risk the data integrity (e.g. hardlink files from a local clone of the dataset). Use with care, and limit to "read-only" use cases. With this flag the installed dataset will be marked as untrusted. [Default: False]
.TP
\fB--alternative-sources\fR SOURCE [SOURCE ...]
Alternative sources to be tried if a dataset cannot be obtained from the main SOURCE. Constraints: value must be a string [Default: None]
.SH AUTHORS
 datalad is developed by The DataLad Team and Contributors <team@datalad.org>.