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Native git allows partial commits: You can commit only some of the lines of your file and leave the rest for a later commit.

Is this possible in TortoiseGit?

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Andy Joiner
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2 Answers2

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Yes, there are official instructions in the docs.

In practice, I find this workflow useful:

  • Right click a file you want to partially commit
  • Click Restore after commit - This immediately creates an internal copy of the file.
  • Double click the file to edit in TortoiseGitMerge
  • Right click -> Mark this block for each change you want to commit now
  • Right click -> Leave only marked blocks to revert the other changes.
    As an alternative to these two steps, you can edit the file the way you want.
  • Save and Close TortoiseGitMerge
  • Commit - this restores the internal copy of the file afterwards.
  • The changes you just reverted in TortoiseGitMerge are now restored in your working tree.

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Mikaël Mayer
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Andy Joiner
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    It's also very annoying and confusing compared to the native git feature. – user541686 Sep 12 '15 at 08:28
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    @Mehrdad I never understood how the native git feature works! It always looked too complex for me...On the other hand TortoiseHg is very straightforward: when commiting you simply select/unselect the blocks that you want/don't want. I really feel like TortoiseHg is still more efficient than TortoiseGit (even if I haven't used TortoiseHg for 2-3 years). – user276648 Apr 08 '16 at 07:56
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    The native `git gui` tool has the desired feature, and the method mentioned in this answer is very annoying as I can see. – ollydbg23 Feb 08 '17 at 16:09
  • I like this feature after I used it a couple of times. Set the file to "restore after commit", edit the file (TortoiseMerge) to undo changes you don't want in this commit, and commit the file. After the commit the file will be restored with the changes you previously undone. – mcdon Jun 15 '17 at 16:18
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Update: Starting with TortoiseGit 2.13 TortoiseGit comes with a partial staging feature in the commit dialog.

You need to enable the partial staging feature on the commit dialog, then the can open the patch view on the right side and select lines/hunks to stage/unstage.

The answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/32527098/3906760 is basically correct, however there are fewer steps required.

  • Choose Restore after commit in the context menu of the file you want to partially commit - This immediately creates an internal copy of the current state of the file.
  • Now adjust the file to only contain the changes you want to commit
    • This can be done using any editor you want to use, but also using TortoiseGitMerge:
      • Double click the file to edit in TortoiseGitMerge (or your configured diff tool)
      • Adjust the file to only contain the changes you want to commit.
      • Save and Close
  • Commit - this commits the selected files and restores the internal copy of the file - the original state of the file is now in your working tree again.

These steps are required as TortoiseGit does not yet support the full staging process and hunk/block selection, cf. https://tortoisegit.org/issue/2299.

MrTux
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