Git Add
The git add command adds files content to the Staging Area (Index). It indicates to Git that you want
to include modifications to a particular file in the next commit.
Every time we add a new file or update an old file in our project, we must forward updates to the staging area.
The git add command doesn't really affect the repository in any way; the changes are actually not recorded
until you run git commit command.
Git Add a file
Git add command is a simple command. It adds files to the Index (Staging Area). We can add single or multiple files at once in the Index.
In the command below, we can see how it runs :
$ git add <path>
The command above adds a specific directory or file to the Staging Area.
Git Add All
Git supports the multiple add in one time using the command git add -A.
The command git add -A will add all files, including new, modified, and deleted files, including files
in the current directory and in the higher directories that still relate to the same git repository.
The command will run as follows:
$ git add -A
Add All files but not in higher directories
The git add command supports an option that adds the entire directory recursively, but it will not include files outside this directory.
The command to add an entire directory will run as follows:
$ git add .
Note: The git add . will equal git add -A if you run the **git add . ** in the root folder of your repository.
Add all modified and deleted files
The git add command has an option that allows staging only the modified and deleted files. It will ignore the newly created file.
The command to stage just the modified and the deleted file will run as below :
$ git add -u
Comparison between git add (-A, ., -u)
| New files | Modified files | Deleted files | Higher directories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| git add -A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| git add . | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| git add -u | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Add files by wildcard
Git also allows adding multiple files at once using wildcard.
The command below will add all file that has a txt extension :
$ git add *.txt
Undo Added files
Git gives the possibility to undo a git add operation through git reset command.
The command below will undo an add operation:
$ git reset <filename>