Add issue in 'Common Issues' section which addresses the problem of Git tracking files/paths mentioned in '.gitignore'. Signed-off-by: Shourya Shukla <shouryashukla.oo@xxxxxxxxx> --- Documentation/gitfaq.txt | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+) diff --git a/Documentation/gitfaq.txt b/Documentation/gitfaq.txt index 1cf83df118..96767e7c75 100644 --- a/Documentation/gitfaq.txt +++ b/Documentation/gitfaq.txt @@ -223,6 +223,27 @@ a file checked into the repository which is a template or set of defaults which can then be copied alongside and modified as appropriate. This second, modified file is usually ignored to prevent accidentally committing it. +[[files-in-.gitignore-are-tracked]] +I asked Git to ignore various files, yet they are still tracked:: + Git ignores files matching the patterns stated in the '.gitignore'. + Consequently, `git add` does not add the files/paths matching the + pattern in `.gitignore`, meaning they remain untracked; `git status` + does not list the aforementioned files/paths as untracked. + + One thing to note is that the `.gitignore` mechanism applies only + to the files that are not already tracked. A file/path that is + already tracked will stay to be tracked even if you add a pattern + that happens to match it to `.gitignore` file. + + This is probably the reason why Git shows some files/paths in the + staging area. These entities were being tracked before and later + were added in the `.gitignore`, due to which they show up in the + staging area. + + To completely ignore and untrack files/paths falling in the above + category, it is advised to use `git rm --cached <file>` as well as + add these files/paths in the `.gitignore`. + Hooks ----- -- 2.20.1
