Track Empty Directories with git
There are times when you'd like to track an empty directory within git but there's a problem: git wont allow you to add a directory that doesn't have a file in it. The easy solution is putting an empty stub file within the directory, and the industry standard for that stub file name is .gitkeep.
You can quickly create the file and commit the "empty" directory from command line:
touch my-empty-dir/.gitkeep
git add my-empty-dir/.gitkeep
git commit -m "Adding my empty directory"
The problem is simple, the solution is easy, but I wanted to highlight that .gitkeep is the industry standard.
![Convert XML to JSON with JavaScript]()
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been working on a super top secret mobile application using Appcelerator Titanium. The experience has been great: using JavaScript to create easy to write, easy to test, native mobile apps has been fun. My...
![Camera and Video Control with HTML5]()
Client-side APIs on mobile and desktop devices are quickly providing the same APIs. Of course our mobile devices got access to some of these APIs first, but those APIs are slowly making their way to the desktop. One of those APIs is the getUserMedia API...
![The Simple Intro to SVG Animation]()
This article serves as a first step toward mastering SVG element animation. Included within are links to key resources for diving deeper, so bookmark this page and refer back to it throughout your journey toward SVG mastery.
An SVG element is a special type of DOM element...
![Flexbox Equal Height Columns]()
Flexbox was supposed to be the pot of gold at the long, long rainbow of insufficient CSS layout techniques. And the only disappointment I've experienced with flexbox is that browser vendors took so long to implement it. I can't also claim to have pushed flexbox's limits, but...
If you want to keep empty directory in git and be sure that its eventually content won’t be pushed, you have to add line in
.gitignore. Going to the point,.gitkeepis one of the methods and the more common (from my experience) is to create.gitignorewithI’d be interested where the “
.gitkeepis the industry standard” came from. Last time I was looking at a couple of repositories, the preference was an empty.gitignorefile.Good tips, Mathew and David!
@Mathew: When I use this tip, I usually include
*/as well to exclude subfolders. This can be pretty handy for thoselog/,cache, andsessionstypes of directories.