To interactively add changes to a commit in Git, you typically use the git add command in combination with the -p (or --patch) option. This allows you to stage changes hunk by hunk, which is useful for selectively adding parts of changes. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Modify your files: Make the changes to your files in your working directory as you normally would.
2. Use git add -p: Run the following command in your terminal:
git add -p
This command will present you with a series of hunks (sections of changes) one at a time.
3. Review each hunk: Git will show you a diff of the changes for each hunk and provide you with a prompt. You will typically see options like this:
- y - stage this hunk
- n - do not stage this hunk
- q - quit; do not stage this hunk nor any of the remaining ones
- a - stage this hunk and all later hunks in the file
- d - do not stage this hunk nor any of the later hunks in the file
- s - split the current hunk into smaller hunks
- e - manually edit the current hunk
You can type the corresponding letter and hit Enter to choose the action you want.
4. Repeat for remaining hunks: After you've made your choice for the first hunk, Git will move on to the next one. You can keep reviewing and staging or skipping hunks as needed until you've finished.
5. Commence the commit: Once you've staged the desired changes, you can create a commit using:
git commit -m "Your commit message"
6. Verify: After committing, you can run git log or git show to confirm your changes have been committed as you intended.
This method of interactively staging changes allows for fine-grained control over what gets included in your commits, which can be especially helpful in maintaining a clean and organized commit history.