How to use the command 'git ignore-io' (with examples)

The ‘git ignore-io’ command is a helpful tool used to generate .gitignore files from predefined templates. It is part of the ‘git-extras’ collection of commands. By using ‘git ignore-io’, you can easily avoid tracking unnecessary files or directories in your Git repository.

Use case 1: List available templates

Code:

git ignore-io list

Motivation: When working on a project, it is important to know which templates are available to exclude specific files or directories from being tracked by Git. The ’list’ command helps you in listing all the available templates that you can use.

Explanation: The ’list’ argument is the command that must be passed to ‘git ignore-io’ to list all the available templates. When executed, it fetches the templates from the ‘gitignore.io’ repository and displays them on the command line.

Example output:

1C
1C-Bitrix
A-Frame
...

Use case 2: Generate a .gitignore template

Code:

git ignore-io item_a,item_b,item_n

Motivation: When starting a new project or initializing a new Git repository, you may want to generate a .gitignore file with predefined templates to exclude common files or directories. The ‘item_a,item_b,item_n’ argument allows you to specify the templates you want to use while generating the .gitignore file.

Explanation: The ‘item_a,item_b,item_n’ argument is a comma-separated list of templates that you want to include in your .gitignore file. These templates must be passed as arguments to the ‘git ignore-io’ command. They can be any of the available templates listed using the ’list’ command.

Example output:

Generated .gitignore file with the following contents:
---------------------
# Created using git-extras/git-ignore-io

# Template: Node
# https://www.gitignore.io/api/node

# Node.js
/node_modules
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# Optional: npm cache files
/.npm

Conclusion: The ‘git ignore-io’ command is a valuable tool for managing your Git repository by generating .gitignore files with predefined templates. It helps you easily exclude unnecessary files or directories, improving the organization and performance of your project. Whether you need to list available templates or generate a .gitignore file with specific templates, ‘git ignore-io’ has got you covered.