# Can we make interactive add easier to use? 3 messages from 2016-10-14 to 2016-10-16. Participants: Robert Dailey, Matthieu Moy, Jeff King. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/44298 ## Robert Dailey, 2016-10-14 13:20 Subject: Can we make interactive add easier to use? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAHd499AnuVximRgM0MKdq5JC-hwkrhox6bK_KA%2BXGrawoz2W%2Bg%40mail.gmail.com ``` Normally when I use interactive add, I just want to add files to the index via simple numbers, instead of typing paths. So I'll do this as quick as I can: 1. Type `git add -i` 2. Press `u` after prompt appears 3. Press numbers for the files I want to add, ENTER key 4. ENTER key again to go back to main add -i menu 5. Press `q` to exit interactive add 6. Type `git commit` This feels very tedious. Is there a simplified workflow for this? I remember using a "git index" unofficial extension to git that let you do a `git status` that showed numbers next to each item (including untracked files!) and you could do `git add 1, 2, 3-5`, etc. Thoughts? Even though this feels like I'm complaining, honestly I am just consulting the experts here to see if I'm missing out on some usability features. Thanks in advance!! ``` ## Matthieu Moy, 2016-10-14 13:46 Subject: Re: Can we make interactive add easier to use? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpqfunz2gc9.fsf%40anie.imag.fr In-Reply-To: ``` Robert Dailey writes: > Normally when I use interactive add, I just want to add files to the > index via simple numbers, instead of typing paths. So I'll do this as > quick as I can: > > 1. Type `git add -i` > 2. Press `u` after prompt appears > 3. Press numbers for the files I want to add, ENTER key > 4. ENTER key again to go back to main add -i menu > 5. Press `q` to exit interactive add > 6. Type `git commit` > > This feels very tedious. Is there a simplified workflow for this? My workflow is to ... not use "git add -i" ;-). To add patch hunks individually, "git add -p" jumps directly to the "patch" inner loop of "git add -i". To add whole individual files, a plain "git add" using zsh's smart completion (autocompletes only files for which "git add" is not a no-op), or globs. -- Matthieu Moy http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/ ``` ## Jeff King, 2016-10-14 19:12 Subject: Re: Can we make interactive add easier to use? Message-ID: <20161014191254.stzzffyxk6ih3cwx@sigill.intra.peff.net> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20161014191254.stzzffyxk6ih3cwx%40sigill.intra.peff.net In-Reply-To: ``` On Fri, Oct 14, 2016 at 08:20:40AM -0500, Robert Dailey wrote: > Normally when I use interactive add, I just want to add files to the > index via simple numbers, instead of typing paths. So I'll do this as > quick as I can: I'd generally second Matthieu's suggestion to use a combination of "git add" and "git add -p". But if you really like the interactive updater, then the optimizations I can think of are: > 1. Type `git add -i` > 2. Press `u` after prompt appears > 3. Press numbers for the files I want to add, ENTER key > 4. ENTER key again to go back to main add -i menu > 5. Press `q` to exit interactive add > 6. Type `git commit` We have "git add -p" to avoid having to do a similar workflow just to get to the "p"atch menu. So in theory we could have a similar shortcut to get to "u"pdate. I think it's just not in common enough use that anybody really bothered to implement it. We also have "commit -p" (and "commit -i") already, though I do not use them myself. That would probably take you down to: 1. git commit --iu ;# obviously a terrible option name 2. Press numbers, then ENTER 3. 'q' or ENTER or ^D to exit, and jump into commit message automatically. You can also set the interactive.singleKey config option to turn (2) into just "press numbers" (which works right now). > This feels very tedious. Is there a simplified workflow for this? I > remember using a "git index" unofficial extension to git that let you > do a `git status` that showed numbers next to each item (including > untracked files!) and you could do `git add 1, 2, 3-5`, etc. TBH, that extension sounds a lot more generically useful, as it works at the shell level. I _think_ I've seen similar features implemented that are not even git specific (i.e., they work off of existing shell-completion libraries and just let you pick the options by number rather than tab-completing). Sorry I don't have any links, though. It's not something I ever used myself. -Peff ```