# Doing a git add '' will add more files then expected 5 messages from 2014-11-17 to 2014-11-23. Participants: Guilherme, Andreas Schwab, Matthieu Moy, Junio C Hamano, Javier Domingo Cansino. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/37986 ## Guilherme, 2014-11-17 16:25 Subject: Doing a git add '' will add more files then expected Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAMDzUtyhNKdzHQK2zLEutJRcRUibhO-U6Zh0yJhrx-YxBqP5cQ%40mail.gmail.com ``` Hello, I first asked on stackoverflow (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/26933761/python-sh-module-and-git-try-to-add-more-files-then-in-command/26934517#26934517) about this behaviour. Then on the conversation that happened on the git-users mailing list other agreed that this behaviour is probably not as intended. Steps to reproduce: In bash (not sure this is bash specific) do: git add '' (that's to apostrophes, an empty argument) Results same as doing git add . Expected no files added or error about not finding file '' Hope this helps. Guilherme ``` ## Andreas Schwab, 2014-11-17 18:15 Subject: Re: Doing a git add '' will add more files then expected Message-ID: <87lhn91ynu.fsf@igel.home> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/87lhn91ynu.fsf%40igel.home In-Reply-To: ``` Guilherme writes: > Steps to reproduce: > In bash (not sure this is bash specific) do: > git add '' > (that's to apostrophes, an empty argument) > > Results > same as doing git add . > > Expected > no files added or error about not finding file '' The argument to git add is a pathspec, and the empty pathspec matches all files. Andreas. -- Andreas Schwab, schwab@linux-m68k.org GPG Key fingerprint = 58CA 54C7 6D53 942B 1756 01D3 44D5 214B 8276 4ED5 "And now for something completely different." ``` ## Matthieu Moy, 2014-11-17 18:42 Subject: Re: Doing a git add '' will add more files then expected Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpqa93p8y9n.fsf%40anie.imag.fr In-Reply-To: <87lhn91ynu.fsf@igel.home> ``` Andreas Schwab writes: > The argument to git add is a pathspec, and the empty pathspec matches > all files. Err, why does the empty pathspec match all files? Isn't that a bug? -- Matthieu Moy http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/ ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2014-11-17 19:08 Subject: Re: Doing a git add '' will add more files then expected Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqh9xxy79x.fsf%40gitster.dls.corp.google.com In-Reply-To: ``` Matthieu Moy writes: > Andreas Schwab writes: > >> The argument to git add is a pathspec, and the empty pathspec matches >> all files. > > Err, why does the empty pathspec match all files? Isn't that a bug? That is debatable. cd Documentation git add "a" would be equivalent to typing git add Documentation/"a" so cd Documentation git add "" would be equivalent to typing git add Documentation/"" And doing the same from the top-level of the working tree can be argued to be a natural extension. ``` ## Javier Domingo Cansino, 2014-11-23 19:06 Subject: Re: Doing a git add '' will add more files then expected Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CALZVapkKFOSQptQX2_A5E9Oankk%2BZBQYcALNW0OTzu4aARJx2g%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` IMO, if you put an empty string "" you would be implying the same as with a dot (git add . ). The important thing is that "git add" without a pathspec returns an error, as it has always done, mainly because it people tend to work without gitignoring all the files they should, and allowing such behaviour would make things harder. -- Javier Domingo Cansino ```