2025

2026-02-19 14:51:06 -08:00
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+---
+title: my favorite git flag
+image:
+  src: 2025/shelf-mushrooms.jpg
+  alt: "Picture unrelated to post. Creamy beige shelf mushrooms on a mossy tree trunk."
+tags:
+  - reference
+  - software
+---
+
+do you have a favorite git flag? I do. let's talk about `git add -p`.
+
+## the p stands for partial
+
+okay, it totally doesn't. it's short for `--patch`. but 'partial' is my mental trick because it makes a little more sense to me, and it might help you remember it too.
+
+also, [TIL](https://xkcd.com/1053/){target="_blank" rel="external"}: this command is a shortcut to the `patch` subcommand of the `--interactive` flag - a flag I have never in my life used. wild the things you learn when you read the documentation.
+
+## the primary purpose
+
+a classic scenario: you've realized your uncommitted work doesn't just encapsulate one change, and it's not so easily split as to be separable per-file. `git add -p` instead lets you choose to stage changes chunk-by-chunk, or, as `git` terms it, hunk-by-hunk.
+
+### hunks
+
+...are not perfect. you can split hunks, but only so much, and there's going to be cases where your changes are *so* mixed in as to be inseparable.
+
+## a secondary purpose
+
+I use `-p` almost every time I use `git add`, not because I know I will need to split up my work, but to review what changes I made.
+
+## a tertiary purpose
+
+the output from `git add -p` highlights extraneous trailing spaces!
+
+## how it works
+
+every hunk `-p` shows you comes with the following single-character choices:
+
+### y and n
+
+**yes** and **no** respectively. either add the hunk, or don't.
+
+### q
+
+**quit**. exit the whole `-p` process.
+
+### a and d
+
+I rarely use these two. that said, I try to remember these two as **all** and **done**. stage all of the hunks in the current file, or be done with the current file.
+
+### s
+
+only shows up sometimes, because it lets you **split** the current hunk. if unsplittable, you won't see this option.
+
+### e
+
+**edit**. [read the documentation for manually editing](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-add#_editing_patches){target="_blank" rel="external"} if curious because I don't use this and can't advise on it.