Git Check Ignore - Shell/Bash

As a programmer, you may have come across situations where certain files are ignored by your Git repository. These files could be logs, configuration files, or anything that you don't want to track changes for. However, sometimes you may forget to add certain files to the ignore list, which can cause issues with your codebase. This is where the git check-ignore command comes in handy.

What is git check-ignore?

git check-ignore is a Git command that allows you to check if a file is ignored by Git. This command looks at the rules specified in your .gitignore file and determines if the file matches any of the patterns in the file.

How to use git check-ignore

To use git check-ignore, open your terminal and navigate to the root directory of your Git repository. Then, type the following command:

git check-ignore [file_path]

Replace [file_path] with the path to the file you want to check. For example, if you want to check if the file config.ini is ignored by Git, you would run the following command:

git check-ignore config.ini

If the file is not ignored, Git will not return any output. However, if the file is ignored, Git will return the pattern that caused the file to be ignored.

For example, if the .gitignore file contains the following pattern *.ini, and you run the git check-ignore config.ini command, Git will return the following output:

.gitignore:1:*.ini	config.ini

This output tells us that the file config.ini matches the pattern *.ini on line 1 of the .gitignore file.

Conclusion

The git check-ignore command is a useful tool that can help you avoid issues with your codebase by ensuring that files are properly ignored by Git. By running this command, you can quickly check if a file is being tracked by Git, and if not, ensure that it is added to the ignore list.