I'm still fairly new to git (coming from svn) and have found `git stash` to be really useful for storing in-progress work to resume later, as one might otherwise do with diff/patch files. (With the git tools I use, I find `git stash pop` to be more convenient and reliable than creating and applying diffs, partially because the changes remained tied to my repository and easily accessible.)
Since `git stash` defaults to stashing ALL local modifications, I'd like to request there be an easy way to stash *only* the changes I've already staged in the index. (The reason I suggested --cached is due to the similarity with `git diff --cached`, but I don't doubt there would be a better name for this option.)
I tried staging everything *except* what I want to stash and using `git stash save --keep-index <message>`, but it isn't intended to support this case, and doesn't work when I have new untracked files. Instead, it stashes *all* local (tracked) changes — both staged and unstaged — but leaves the staged changes intact in the index.
I understand that git's branching model is powerful and flexible, and that an experienced git user would generally create a private branch and commit to that, then merge the changes to mainline sometime later. However, for those like me for whom having many branches is generally more confusing than helpful, it would be fantastic to have more flexibility with `git stash`.
Thanks in advance for considering my request.
Regards,
- Quinn