Git: inverse ignoring (.gitignore)

Question

I created a repository for my home folder. This is my .gitignore file:

!.vim/plugin/*
!.vim/doc/*
.*
*
.viminfo
.vim/.netrwhist
.vim-fuf-data/fi         


        

Answer 1

Try moving the negated lines (those starting with !) to the bottom of the .gitignore file.

See the Examples section here

Answer 2

Another way would be to ignore only top level files and directories, and in the whitelisted directories do the same if necessary, as in this answer to a related question

For example my .gitignore now looks like this

/*
!.gitignore
!.vimrc
!.bashrc
!.vim/
.vim/.netrwhist
!.gconf/
.gconf/apps/*
!.gconf/apps/gnome-terminal
!bin/

The answer of Deve makes git very slow because it searches all directories under your homedir. (In the specific case of using git for the settings in your homedir)

Answer 3

In line 4 you're ignoring everything with *. This overrides the previous negating pattern. From the man page:

within one level of precedence, the last matching pattern decides the outcome

Where "level of precedence" means different sources for ignore patterns like .gitignore and $GIT_DIR/info/exclude.

If you want to ignore everything but the patterns beginning with ! you should move the * to the beginning of .gitignore

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Edit

I found a solution with the help of another question on SO:

*
!*/
!.vim/plugin/*