Git: How to ignore changes to a tracked file?

Question

I have a file with database settings in my project which I have set to some defaults. The file is tracked by Git and checked in. Since this file will be edited with different values various developer machines, is there a way I can tell Git to ignore new changes to this file?

I tried adding the file to the .gitignore file, but since the file is tracked it isn't ignored. This is alright and good in other situations, but I am wondering if there is something I can do here?

Answer 1

One may use git update-index --skip-worktree FILE for this purpose.

It is similar to --assume-unchanged but, unlike --assume-unchanged, is not just an unpredictable performance trick.

To cancel --skip-worktree effects and unset the flag use --no-skip-worktree.

Downsides

• This flag is for local repository only and cannot be pushed to the remote. Thus every clone that needs to ignore the file should do it manually.
• You may face conflicts when switching to another branch or using git pull. (more details)

Answer 2

I recommend naming the source-controlled file differently than its actual expected name. For example, if the file is normally named config.json, then name your example file config.json.dist and commit this file. Then add config.json to your .gitignore file. Your devs would simply cp config.json.dist config.json after cloning, and then edit it as required, making subsequent commits without having to worry about accidentally changing the default file or forgetting to toggle some setting on and off all the time.

You might even edit your code to search for config.json first, and if that doesn't exist, fall back to config.json.dist. This would allow the devs to work without even performing the copy step. (This is how PHPUnit works.)