Re: Can I checkout a single file without altering index?

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 02:32:52PM -0500, Jonathan Nieder wrote:

quoted

git commit -o|--only, which is the same as "git commit <paths>". Of
course it still uses an index, to create the tree, but it uses a
temporary one based on HEAD instead of the current index contents.

Ah, it's stranger than that.

	 * A partial commit.
	 *
	 * (0) find the set of affected paths;
	 * (1) get lock on the real index file;
	 * (2) update the_index with the given paths;
	 * (3) write the_index out to the real index (still locked);
	 * (4) get lock on the false index file;
	 * (5) reset the_index from HEAD;
	 * (6) update the_index the same way as (2);
	 * (7) write the_index out to the false index file;
	 * (8) return the name of the false index file (still locked);

The net effect being that the index will match the work tree for the
listed paths when the operation is over, while other files are
untouched.

Well, yeah, it does have to update those files in the regular index. Any
other semantics would be insane; the change would appear reverted
looking at the difference between HEAD and the index.

With respect to your proposed change:

I always assumed that "disregarding any contents that have been staged"
meant "we will leave unmentioned paths alone". But I don't think it
hurts to be explicit. So your change looks fine to me.

-Peff