Quick Hits: When your .gitignore file gets…ignored

I made a mistake while creating a GIT repos that I’m hoping I can save you from making.  I made my first commit on a project and I realized that a bunch of files were getting in that shouldn’t be.  I created a .gitignore file, but the issue kept happening on subsequent commits.  As I learned later, you SHOULD create your .gitignore file first.  However, if you forgot, this is how you fix it:

1. Keep your .gitignore file.
2. Clear your GIT cache.  Don’t worry, this won’t delete any of your local files, just what GIT is tracking.
   git rm -r --cached .
3. Add everything in your project.  Your .gitignore file will exclude what you want to ignore now and start tracking the good stuff.
   git add .
4. Commit your changes.
   git commit -m "Now my .gitignore file works correctly!"

Happy codding!