# Re: Some advanced index playing

- From: Jakub Narebski \<hidden\>
- Date: 2016-08-11 20:23:59 
- List: git
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2016/08/7691571
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2016/08/7692254/t.md

```text
Alan Chandler wrote:

> With all the discussion about the index file in the last few days I would have 
> thought that this issue would have come up.  But I don't think it has.
> 
> I have been editing a set of files to make a commit, and after editing each 
> one had done a git update-index.
> 
> At this point I am just about to commit when I realise that one of the files 
> has changes in it that really ought to be a separate commit. 
> 
> So effectively, I want to do one of three things
> 
> a) git-commit <that-file>
> 
> Except I can't because there is a safety valve that prevents this and there is 
> no force option.

I do wonder what this safety valve is for, and why it acts also if
index version is equal to working directory version...

> b) Revert the index entry for that file back to the previous HEAD commit 
> point, whilst leaving the edits in the working tree, so that I can then 
> commit without that one file.
> 
> I can't find a command to do that.  The nearest seems to be 
> git-update-index --remove, but the manual says that it will not do anything 
> if the file still exists.

There is "git update-index --force-remove <that-file>". Currently there
is no "git reset -- <that-file>", but you can revert index entry to the
one in HEAD using
  $ git ls-tree HEAD -- <that-file> | git update-index --index-info

And you can always try "git-rm + git-add".
 
> c) Revert the entire index back to the state it was at the last commit so I 
> can selectively add back in the files that I have editted.
> 
> The command to do that seems to be
> 
> git-read-tree HEAD 

No, the command for that is just "git reset" (which means 
"git reset --mixed HEAD"), and touches HEAD and index but not working
directory


> What happened to the text written here
> 
>   http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=git&m=116406699903565&w=2
    "[DRAFT 2] Branching and merging with git"

> I thought this might be a place to put something like this, but having just 
> updated my version of git from source, it doesn't seem to have been put in to 
> git anywhere yet.

linux@horizon.com, perhaps you should send this text in the form of patch
creating Documentation/tutorial-3.txt file?
-- 
Jakub Narebski
Warsaw, Poland
ShadeHawk on #git

```