Re: git clean --exclude broken?

From: brian m. carlson <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
Date: Nov 28, 2024, 20:58 UTC
Message-ID: <Z0jZfltm0O3y9QoW@tapette.crustytoothpaste.net>
In-Reply-To: <CABAKogYaajvedff2ihsC5g+156L-Oe2N_XR3c+uyyfoovVQ5gg@mail.gmail.com>

On 2024-11-26 at 06:13:44, Homyee King wrote:

Show 14 quoted lines

> Thanks for replying.
> It's a typo mistake, the correct command is `git clean -Xdn -e foo` but the
> problem still exists which is `--exclude` option not work with `-X`, is
> that design so or a bug? For example:
> 
> simple-project/ │ ├── foo/ │
> |---- bar/ ├── .gitignore # contains foo/ bar/ │ └── test.ts # untracked
> file
> 
> I only want to clear all gitignored files/folder but *`foo/` *and keep the
> untrakced files/folders, so here's the command
> $ git clean -Xdn -e foo
> $  ls
> $  Would remove foo/ bar/

I don't think there's a command for what you want to do here. You basically want to clear only ignored files, but exclude one pattern from the ignore rules. `-e` doesn't do that: it _adds_ to the ignore rules, not subtracts from them.

So this is what I'd expect to see here with your file structure:

---- % git clean -Xdn -e test.ts Would remove bar/ Would remove foo/ Would remove test.ts ----

since by using `-e`, we've added the additional files to be ignored, and with `-X`, we've said to remove the files.

-- 
brian m. carlson (they/them or he/him)
Toronto, Ontario, CA