git-adding-files-to-stage.md

Git. Adding files to stage

If we review the oficial documentation, the command used to add files to the git stage is git add.

Lets see some particularities.

git add [files]

It is the most basic way to add files, providing all file names to process in stage as command parameters. Example: git add "README.md" LICENSE ...

git add * vs. git add .

It should seem at a glance that both do the same (record all untracked files, adding new files, changes and deletions to stage), but this fact is wrong.

• git add * don't take into account hidden files like .gitignore neither files marked to deletion using terminal comands like rm. If the documentation is read in deep, this way lets you select files by regex.

• git add . allows you do that but not at all. Let's go deeper...

How to ensure all/certain changes are tracked into the stage

Here a table for quick understanding:

Git Version 1.x:

	New files	Mod files	Deleted files	Entire working tree
git add -A	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	Stage All (new, modified, deleted) files (entire tree)
git add .	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	Stage New and Modified files only (current dir/subs)
git add -u	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	Stage Modified and Deleted files only (current dir/subs)

Git Version 2.x:

Normalizes the use of . in all modifiers.

	New files	Mod files	Deleted files	Entire working tree
git add -A	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	Stage All (new, modified, deleted) files (entire tree)
git add .	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	Stage New and Modified files only (current dir/subs)
git add --ignore-removal .	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	Stage New and Modified files only (current dir/subs)
git add -u	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	Stage Modified and Deleted files only (entire tree)

Long-form flags:

• git add -A is equivalent to git add --all
• git add -u is equivalent to git add --update

Let's play...

git init
echo Change me > change-me
echo Delete me > delete-me
git add change-me delete-me
git commit -m initial

echo OK >> change-me
rm delete-me
echo Add me > add-me

git status
# Changed but not updated:
#   modified:   change-me
#   deleted:    delete-me
# Untracked files:
#   add-me

git add .
git status

# Changes to be committed:
#   new file:   add-me
#   modified:   change-me
# Changed but not updated:
#   deleted:    delete-me

git reset

git add -u
git status

# Changes to be committed:
#   modified:   change-me
#   deleted:    delete-me
# Untracked files:
#   add-me

git reset

git add -A
git status

# Changes to be committed:
#   new file:   add-me
#   modified:   change-me
#   deleted:    delete-me

Conclusions

If you are in a other folder different of root and you use any form of git add ., only the files under this and their subdirectories are tracked.

So use git add -A if your purpouse is tracking all changes in entire working tree independently where that command is executed.