Operations on files

Let's see what else we can do inside our lonely little branch.

• git add can be used on the files in a directory:

ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master)$ mkdir subdir
ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master)$ git add subdir
ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master)$ git status
# On branch master
nothing to commit (working directory clean)
ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master)$ vi subdir/someFile
ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master)$ git add subdir
ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master +)$ git status
# On branch master
# Changes to be committed:
#   (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)
#
#	new file:   subdir/someFile
#

• What happens when I add an empty directory?... Nothing. Remember git only tracks files, and their path. You can't track a directory. empty or not.

• However if it is not empty you can add all files recursively in a directory. (be careful as you would add any file, even the ones you would like to avoid keeping).

• Other commands deal with file management: git mv, that renames or moves a file, git rm, that removes a file from the repository, while keeping its history. You may have a play with them.

• You can also revert the changes you have staged but not committed yet and git status is once again very helpful at giving us the right command for that: (use "git reset HEAD ..." to unstage) could we read in the previous call to git status. Let's try:

ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master +)$ git reset HEAD subdir/someFile
ben@GregoryHouse:~/tmp/testRepo (master)$ git status
# On branch master
# Untracked files:
#   (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
#
#	subdir/

Jump to Branching