Stashing Specific Files

To stash specific files, you need to use a combination of `git stash`, `git reset`, and `git add` commands. Here are the steps to achieve this:

Step 1. Stage the Specific Files.

First, stage the files you want to stash using ‘git add’.

git add <file path>

Step 2. Stash the Changes.

Next, stash the changes, but only include the staged files.

git stash push -m "Stash specific files" -- <file path>

The `–` separator indicates that the following arguments are paths to the files you want to stash. The `-m` option allows you to add a message to your stash, making it easier to identify later.

Step 3. Unstage the Files.

If you need to keep the files in the staging area after stashing, use `git reset` to unstage them.

git reset path/to/file1 path/to/file2

Example: To demonstrate modifying three files, `file1.txt`, `file2.txt`, and `file3.txt`, but you only want to stash the changes in `file1.txt` and `file2.txt`.

Step 1. Stage the Specific Files

git add file1.txt file2.txt

Step 2. Stash the Staged Files

git stash push -m "Stashing file1 and file2" -- file1.txt file2.txt

Step 3. Verify the Stash.

You can check the stash list to confirm the changes have been stashed.

git stash list

You should see an entry similar to `stash@{0}: On master: Stashing file1 and file2`.

Step 4. Unstage the Files (if needed)

git reset file1.txt file2.txt

Git stash command is a powerful tool for developers, allowing them to temporarily save changes that are not yet ready to be committed. This is particularly useful when you need to switch branches or pull updates from a remote repository without committing to unfinished work. While `git stash` typically saves all changes in the working directory, you might sometimes need to stash only specific files. This article will guide you through the process of stashing specific files or multiple files in Git.