yipengsun/test-git-sparse-checkout

test-git-sparse-checkout

First do the following

1. Clone this repo with git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout
2. git sparse-checkout init
3. git sparse-checkout add README.md
4. git sparse-checkout reapply
5. git checkout

Now there should be just a single README.md in project root.

Now, say you want to add a new file stuff.txt in folder1:

1. mkdir folder1

2. touch folder1/stuff.txt

3. A naive git add folder1/stuff.txt would produce the following error:

   The following paths and/or pathspecs matched paths that exist
   outside of your sparse-checkout definition, so will not be
   updated in the index:
   folder1/stuff.txt
   hint: If you intend to update such entries, try one of the following:
   hint: * Use the --sparse option.
   hint: * Disable or modify the sparsity rules.
   hint: Disable this message with "git config advice.updateSparsePath false"
   

4. To actually add the file, follow the first hint provided by git:

   git add --sparse folder1/stuff.txt
   

5. However, after you do a git pull, folder1/stuff.txt will vanish.

   • If stuff.txt is actually a folder, you can tell git to keep it with git sparse-checkout add stuff.txt and git sparse-checkout reapply.
   • Otherwise, force adding it will make ALL files under folder1 available.

Above is tested with git version 2.38.4.