Re: How do I force git to forget about merging a binary file that is to stay deleted on the target branch?

[Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com>]

Hi,

On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 11:26 PM, Brent Goodrick <bgoodr@gmail.com> wrote:
> How do I commit a merge but force git to forget about merging one file
> that I don't want on the target branch, when it is binary, and when it
> was changed on the source branch, but was deleted on the target branch
> (and should stay deleted on the target branch)?
>
> The details: I am merging a "work" branch into a "home" branch.  There
> is one file called "TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS" that is binary.
> I don't want that file on the "home" branch, but do want it on the
> "work" branch.  I had made an editing change to that file on the
> "work" branch, along with a bunch of other changes I do want to merge
> into the "home" branch. But no matter what I do, I can't force git to
> forget about that "TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS" file.
>
> I've tried various flavors of git-checkout and git-reset to no
> avail. This is what I see at the very last before I gave up:

You can resolve this merge conflict by running
$ git rm TimeSheets/Timesheet\ Exempt.XLS

which will make git delete the file from your working copy and the
index, at which point you can then make a commit that does not include
this file.


> Here is what I'm left with:
>
> ,----
> | $ : gitw status
> | TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS: needs merge
> | # On branch home
> | # Changes to be committed:
> | #   (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)
> | #
> | <snipped out other files I do want to commit>
> | #
> | # Changed but not updated:
> | #   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
> | #   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
> | #
> | #     unmerged:   TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS
> | #
> | $ : gitw commit -m "merge from work"
> | TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS: needs merge
> | TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS: unmerged
> (49a49bd9de154daa8ca6cff3cfb550d0dd1b4519)
> | TimeSheets/Timesheet Exempt.XLS: unmerged
> (8de60b8b6827ef1f80921f6d35b574a56683bfdd)
> | error: Error building trees
> `----
>
> Any help anyone can provide is greatly appreciated.