Is there any git directory that can be definitely and always ignored by default?

Question

I would like to ignore sandbox directories located in my project directory. However, by default, if there are some same directory that can be always ignored w/o any configuration, I would love to use and should use it.

So, my question is Is there any git directory that can be definitely and always ignored by default?

AFAIK anything inside the `.git` folder is fair game for being tracked. But of course, you may put your folder outside of that directory, and then Git would know nothing about it. — Tim Biegeleisen, Jun 11 '18 at 15:18
You can configure one: https://stackoverflow.com/q/7335420/124319 — coredump, Jun 11 '18 at 15:19
Create a global gitignore file, and put in 'sandbox' or w/e. — Alan, Jun 11 '18 at 15:19
Thank you, guys. So, the solution has the only way that you need to add `sandbox/` to my `.gitignore` file? — diveintohacking, Jun 11 '18 at 15:24
Yes, but you can add it to the global gitignore file, see the link above. — bimlas, Jun 11 '18 at 17:19

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 11 '18 at 19:07

You can create a global .gitignore:

git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.config/git/ignore

for instance; see Global Git ignore for much more about this.

Note, however, that in many cases, you should not do this. (This same idea is captured in the second answer on that page, which is not the accepted answer.)

For files that are created by something you do, that won't be created for other people doing work in the same project, a global .gitignore is appropriate. For instance, suppose that all of your coworkers use the vim or emacs or sublime editor, but you use your own personal editor, perhaps called Frank's Editor, and it creates backup files named .frank.<name>.

You would want all your Git repositories to ignore .frank.* as those are your editor backups. They're not Bob's editor backups, which are *.~ because he uses emacs, and they're not Carol's .*.swp vim temporaries. Your project shouldn't ignore *.~ either—that should be in Bob's global ignore, and Carol should have .*.swp in her global ignore.

But if your project has a sandbox/ subdirectory that the project uses, that you, Bob, and Carol will all have in your project—well, that file-name should be in the project's .gitignore file, so that it's ignored in your clone, in Bob's clone, in Carol's clone, and in every other clone anyone ever makes, because that project's .gitignore gets cloned along with the project.

Is there any git directory that can be definitely and always ignored by default?

1 Answers1