Git Interactive Add

Git's interactive add feature is a powerful tool that allows you to selectively stage changes, crafting precise commits tailored to your needs. We'll explore various ways to use the git add -i or git add --interactive command, providing you with a comprehensive guide to efficiently stage changes and enhance your version control workflow.

1. Launching Interactive Add:

To start the interactive add mode, use:

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git add -i

or

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git add --interactive

This opens an interactive prompt, presenting you with a menu of staging options.

2. Staging Modified Files:

Choose option 2 or enter u to stage modified files interactively. Git will display a list of modified files, and you can select which ones to stage individually.

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          staged     unstaged path
  1:    unchanged        +1/-1 README.md
  2:    unchanged        +3/-3 src/main.py
  3:    unchanged        +5/-1 src/utils.py
  4:    unchanged        +2/-2 tests/test_main.py
  5:    unchanged        +4/-1 tests/test_utils.py
Update>> 2

3. Staging All Changes:

Choose option 1 or enter a to stage all changes, both modified and untracked. This is a quick way to stage everything at once.

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*** Commands ***
  1: add untracked
  2: update
  3: revert
  4: add untracked
  5: patch
  6: diff
  7: quit

4. Staging Untracked Files:

Choose option 4 or enter add untracked to interactively stage untracked files. Git will display a list of untracked files, and you can select which ones to stage.

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          staged     unstaged path
  1:    unchanged        +1/-1 README.md
  2:    unchanged        +3/-3 src/main.py
  3:    unchanged        +5/-1 src/utils.py
  4:    unchanged        +2/-2 tests/test_main.py
  5:    unchanged        +4/-1 tests/test_utils.py
Update>> 4

5. Interactive Patching:

Choose option 5 or enter p to interactively stage changes using patch mode. Git will prompt you with each change, allowing you to choose whether to stage it or not.

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*** Commands ***
  1: status     2: update      3: revert      4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> 5

6. Reverting Changes:

Choose option 3 or enter r to interactively revert changes. Git will display a list of modified files, and you can select which ones to revert.

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          staged     unstaged path
  1:    unchanged        +1/-1 README.md
  2:    unchanged        +3/-3 src/main.py
  3:    unchanged        +5/-1 src/utils.py
  4:    unchanged        +2/-2 tests/test_main.py
  5:    unchanged        +4/-1 tests/test_utils.py
Update>> 3

7. Differential Staging:

Choose option 6 or enter d to see the diff for each file before deciding whether to stage it or not.

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*** Commands ***
  1: status     2: update      3: revert      4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> 6

8. Quitting Interactive Add:

Choose option 7 or enter q to quit the interactive add mode. Git will display a confirmation prompt.

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*** Commands ***
  1: status     2: update      3: revert      4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> q

9. Help Menu:

Choose option 8 or enter h to display the help menu, which lists all available interactive add commands.

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*** Commands ***
  1: status     2: update      3: revert      4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> h

10. Adding Files with Specific Extensions:

Use the ! command followed by a filter expression to add files matching specific criteria. For example, to add all .js files:

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*** Commands ***
  1: status     2: update      3: revert      4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> !(*.js)

11. Splitting Changes into Hunks:

When using patch mode (option 5), you can further split changes into smaller chunks (hunks) for more granular staging.

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*** Commands ***
  1: yes        2: no         3: edit        4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> e

12. Staging Lines Within a File:

When in patch mode, you can stage individual lines within a file by selecting specific lines to add.

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*** Commands ***
  1: yes        2: no         3: edit        4: add untracked
  5: patch      6: diff        7: quit        8: help
What now>> 3