Commit only part of a file in Git

Question

When I make changes to a file in Git, how can I commit only some of the changes?

For example, how could I commit only 15 lines out of 30 lines that have been changed

Answer 1

vim-gitgutter plugin can stage hunks without leaving vim editor using

:GitGutterStageHunk

Beside this, it provides other cool features like a diff sign column as in some modern IDEs

If only part of hunk should be staged vim-fugitive

:Gdiff

allows visual range selection then :'<,'>diffput or :'<,'>diffget to stage/revert individual line changes.

Answer 2

As one answer above shows, you can use git add --patch filename.txt

or the short-form git add -p filename.txt

... but for files already in you repository, there is, in s are much better off using --patch flag on the commit command directly (if you are using a recent enough version of git): git commit --patch filename.txt

... or, again, the short-form git commit -p filename.txt

... and then using the mentioned keys, (y/n etc), for choosing lines to be included in the commit.

Answer 3

For emacs there is also gitsum

Answer 4

For Atom users, the package github includes interactive staging, in the style of git gui. For shortcuts see the package's documentation.

Using Atom allows working with a theme that has dark background (by default, git gui has a white background).

Answer 5

If you are using vim, you may want to try the excellent plugin called fugitive.

You can see the diff of a file between working copy and index with :Gdiff, and then add lines or hunks to the index using classic vim diff commands like dp. Save the modifications in the index and commit with :Gcommit, and you're done.

Very good introductory screencasts here (see esp. part 2).