git stash: add --index-only, or --keep-index should not stash index?

Hi,

I wanted to do something like "Testing partial commits" described in git-stash documentation (see end of mail for reference). I think this is a common scenario: you start working on some feature, then discover a bug, start fixing it, but realize it needs more work. So now you have two features that needs more work (both are not ready for committing).

The documentation says to use --keep-index in this case.

The problem is that --keep-index leaves changes in index intact, but at the same time it saves them in stash. So if I edit those changes I'm likely to get conflicts when applying the stash.

For example:

$ git init && echo a > a && git add . && git commit -m a $ echo x > a && git add a && git stash save --keep-index $ echo y > a && git add a && git commit -m y $ git stash pop Auto-merging a CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in a

Maybe --keep-index should not stash staged changes? This would fix this problem. And I can't think of a situation when would want to stash changes and at the same time keep them.

If --keep-index works correctly maybe a new option, for example --index-only (or --cached-only?) could be introduced?

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Testing partial commits::

You can use `git stash save --keep-index` when you want to make two or more commits out of the changes in the work tree, and you want to test each change before committing: + ---------------------------------------------------------------- # ... hack hack hack ... $ git add --patch foo # add just first part to the index $ git stash save --keep-index # save all other changes to the stash $ edit/build/test first part $ git commit -m 'First part' # commit fully tested change $ git stash pop # prepare to work on all other changes # ... repeat above five steps until one commit remains ... $ edit/build/test remaining parts $ git commit foo -m 'Remaining parts' ----------------------------------------------------------------