Re: [PATCH] gitignore: root most patterns at the top-level directory

[James Pickens <jepicken@gmail.com>]

On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 11:24 AM, Jeff King <peff@peff.net> wrote:
>> If we do so, there is no need to change the current .gitignore entires.
>> You need to spell a concrete filename as a glob pattern that matches only
>> one path if you want the recursive behaviour.  E.g. if you have a Makefile
>> per subdirectory, each of which generates and includes Makefile.depend
>> file, you would write "Makefile.depen[d]" in the toplevel .gitignore file.
>
> While clever, that use of '[d]' seems unneccessarily obscure to me. Why
> not just give a wildcard for "any subdirectory of me" and do:
>
>  Makefile.depend
>  **/Makefile.depend
>
> Since "**" is in common use in other systems, it's pretty clear (to me,
> anyway, but then I am the one suggesting the syntax ;) ) what that
> means.

+1 to that.  I've often wished for Git to support the ** wildcard, not only in
.gitignore but also in other places like .gitattributes and sparse checkout (if
that feature ever gets completed anyways).  It's on my list of "git features I
would work on if I ever had any free time."

James