git stash path/to/only/one/subdirectory

Patrick Doyle· Dec 8, 2010, 14:15 UTC · lore

Looking at the man page for git-stash, it seems like I can do this with the --patch option to git-stash, but I figured I'd ask the questions anyway...

Is it possible to git-stash a single directory, while leaving the rest of my working copy in the state it's in?

In my particular case (as of 9:00am this morning), I've realized that I want to split my work into 2 separate commits; I'm not done with either of them yet; and they are in completely separate directories from each other. I would like to do something like:

$ git stash --subdir-only dir1 edit/test stuff in dir2, possibly committing once or twice along the way $ git commit dir2 go off and do other stuff for a while, and come back to the dir1 stuff I was playing with $ git stash pop finish the dir1 work $ git commit dir1

If this capability doesn't exist, I could try adding it... would other folks see this as useful?

--wpd

Johan Herland· Dec 8, 2010, 15:38 UTC · re: Patrick Doyle · lore

Re: git stash path/to/only/one/subdirectory

On Wednesday 08 December 2010, Patrick Doyle wrote:

Show 20 quoted lines

> Looking at the man page for git-stash, it seems like I can do this
> with the --patch option to git-stash, but I figured I'd ask the
> questions anyway...
>
> Is it possible to git-stash a single directory, while leaving the
> rest of my working copy in the state it's in?
>
> In my particular case (as of 9:00am this morning), I've realized that
> I want to split my work into 2 separate commits; I'm not done with
> either of them yet; and they are in completely separate directories
> from each other.  I would like to do something like:
>
> $ git stash --subdir-only dir1
> edit/test stuff in dir2, possibly committing once or twice along the
> way $ git commit dir2
> go off and do other stuff for a while, and come back to the dir1
> stuff I was playing with
> $ git stash pop
> finish the dir1 work
> $ git commit dir1

Usually, I solve these problems by staging dir2 with 'git add dir2' and then committing it ('git commit' without -a), then running 'git stash' to remove dir1 changes from the worktree. I can now test the dir2 changes and fix the dir2 commit (if needed) with 'git commit --amend'. Then, when it looks good, I can bring dir1 back with 'git stash pop' and continue working on that.

You should also look at 'git add -p' to stage changes hunk-by-hunk. That is really helpful when dir1 changes and dir2 changes are not in separate directories.

...Johan

-- 
Johan Herland, <johan@herland.net>
www.herland.net