Excluding Files in 'git add' Using Pathspec

loumarven — Sat, 30 May 2020 23:02:43 +0000

This post was originally published on my blog.

When I use git to do version control in my projects, my typical flow would be the following:

Initialize git repository (git init).
Make changes to the code.
Add the changes to the staging area (git add).
Commit the changes to the local repository (git commit).
Push changes to the remote repository (git push).

I made changes to my project and so had to commit them. Typically, I would stage these changes with git add -A which adds all new and modified files to the staging area. There are some cases though that I wanted to exclude some files from being added to the staging area. One particular case is when I tested some modifications to a gem I am using. In my Gemfile, instead of using the default gem's repository, I pointed the said gem to my local copy which I modified:

gem 'some-arbitrary-gem', path: '~/Documents/code/oss/some-arbitrary-gem-master/'

Running bundle install would also modify Gemfile.lock, so git would know that both the Gemfile and Gemfile.lock have been modified. But I didn't want to add and commit these changes yet until I'm satisfied with my modifications.

I could manually add each of the files I wanted to add. Say if I have ten files I wanted to add, I could manually enter git add file1 file2 fileN. This can get inefficient though, especially when you have a lot of files you wanted to add and perhaps just one file to exclude. So I searched online for an efficient way to get this done and came across this answer that worked for me.

Applying the answer in my context, I added my files and excluded Gemfile and Gemfile.lock with the following:

git add --all -- ':!Gemfile*'

I looked at git add's documentation to see what those additional options for git add meant. The -- option separates command-line options from the list of files. In the case above, it separates the --all option from the list of specified files. The ':!Gemfile*' from the command above is an example of specifying a pathspec. A pathspec, based on the online documentation, is a pattern used to limit paths in Git commands. A pathspec with a colon (:), in a nutshell, lets you exclude certain paths and files. When using git add to exclude files or directories using pathspec magic, you may use its long form:

git add --all -- ':exclude(Gemfile*)'

or its short form:

git add --all -- ':!Gemfile*'

It can be used with other git commands aside from git add. But knowing I can easily exclude files and directories when adding/staging changes is enough for me now.

Making Time for Learning

loumarven — Sat, 25 Jan 2020 15:24:29 +0000

This post was originally published on my blog.

You’ve always wanted to start learning something new to improve your skills. It may be a technical or soft skill you’ve been wanting to learn about/improve on. The problem is, you don’t have the time to spend for it. You've got work, have to commute, got a family to lead, got children to take care of — you have a life to live. So how do you make time for learning when your plate is seemingly already full? In this post, I’m going to share my approach to make time for learning. Let’s get started.

Disclaimer: This does not aim to be an ultimate guide to making time for learning. I do hope though that this post helps you.

1. Make a commitment.

Unless you commit to it, learning will just stay a desire. You think about it, you talk about it, but you make no effort to put in hours to actually do it. Your desire to learn is only the starting point. The goal is to turn that desire into a commitment. The commitment you make will push you and create grit in you to keep learning even when you face obstacles or you just honestly don't feel like doing it.

One practical way of making a commitment is telling others about it. Tell your family about it. Tell your close friends about it. Tell someone you trust about it. Ask them a favor to check on your progress from time to time and encourage you to keep at it despite the challenges (or excuses) you may have.

keep_learning if self.committed?

2. Evaluate your daily routine.

Get a pen and paper, sit down and list your usual activities and the amount of time you spend for every activity. The list should include all activities that consume a significant amount of your time. If an activity takes at least 30 minutes, include that in the list.

Next, for every activity you've listed and its corresponding amount of time spent, indicate whether that activity adds value or not. Essential activities obviously add value, while the non-essential ones oftentimes don't. A trivial example appears below:

Activity	Duration (hours)	Adds Value?
Quiet time	0.5	Yes
Exercise	0.5	Yes
Breakfast with family	0.5	Yes
Preparing for work	0.5	Yes
Commute/drive to work (to and fro)	1	Yes
Work	8	Yes
Miscellaneous errands	1	Yes
Dinner with family	0.5	Yes
Social media/web browsing	1	No
Television	1	No
Play/quality time with family	1.5	Yes
Sleep	8	Yes

Based on the example above, we see that we have two usual activities that don't really add value. You can then use the time you spend for these non-essential activities for learning.

Including learning time in your daily activities, your daily schedule now looks like:

Activity	Duration (hours)	Adds Value?
Quiet time	0.5	Yes
Exercise	0.5	Yes
Breakfast with family	0.5	Yes
Preparing for work	0.5	Yes
Commute/drive to work (to and fro)	1	Yes
Work	8	Yes
Miscellaneous errands	1	Yes
Dinner with family	0.5	Yes
~~Social media/web browsing~~	1	No
~~Television~~	1	No
Learning time	2	Yes
Play/quality time with family	1.5	Yes
Sleep	8	Yes

Easier said than done, and your routine may vary from day-to-day, but the point is, you can make time for learning, given that you have activities that don't add value and you are willing to sacrifice them for one that does. If you have time for entertainment (just like the trivial example above), then most probably you'll be able to allot time for learning.

Am I saying here that you get rid of these non-essential activities for good? It's up to you. You may choose to lessen the time you spend for these non-essential activities. Spending 30 minutes or less for these things won't hurt. I just think that regularly spending hours for entertainment is unproductive. Again, it's up to you.

You can make time for learning, given that you have activities that don't add value and you are willing to sacrifice them for one that does. If you have time for entertainment, then most probably you'll be able to allot time for learning.

3. Put it in schedule.

Making time for learning is likely to happen if you put it in schedule. Don't decide what time to do it on a day-to-day basis. Learning will become a habit if it's part of your schedule. If not, you will end up procrastinating and eventually give up.

Here are some guide questions you can ask yourself as you decide where to put learning in your schedule:

What time of the day do you still have the energy to learn/study?
What time of the day are there less distractions so you can focus?
What period of the day can you spend for learning such that the effect/compromise on your priorities is little to none?

After careful thought on your considerations, you can now put "time for learning" in your schedule. Let's update our trivial example (others omitted for brevity):

Activity	Duration (hours)	Adds Value?	Schedule
Quiet time	0.5	Yes	5:00 AM
Exercise	0.5	Yes	5:30 AM
Learning time	2	Yes	6:00 AM
Breakfast with family	0.5	Yes	8:00 AM
Preparing for work	0.5	Yes	8:30 AM

Of course, putting it in schedule is one thing and following it is another. At first, it can get really challenging to follow your schedule. You may not always hit your schedule, but try not to get too far off from it. Commit to do your best to follow your schedule.

4. Focus. Focus. Focus.

Not only does learning require a lot of time — effective learning also requires focus. There are many resources that share tips on how to stay focused. Choose whatever is applicable to you. For instance, I find that the Pomodoro Technique helps me a lot in staying focused. You would also want to minimize the distractions while you study. While you cannot fully eliminate all distractions, make an effort to at least minimize them. Here are some practical ways you can minimize distractions:

Turn off unimportant notifications on your phone and computer.
If learning offline, you may turn the WiFi or cellular data off to keep you from checking stuff on the internet while you study.

A side note on distractions:
Your child wanting to play with you or your spouse wanting to spend time with you is NOT a distraction. Go ahead and pause your reading (or that tutorial video) and attend to them. It is important though that you let them know about your commitment to learn and that it requires time. Ask them if the schedule works or not and adjust as necessary.

5. Rest well.

Yes, you need to rest well to be able to make time for learning. Your health is a priority, so you must also schedule time for rest. When your mind and body are well rested, chances are your energy and focus are way better (remember, learning takes time, energy and focus). You won't miss out so much on your learning if you take a day or two of rest from it. Perhaps do something else outside of learning — take a walk with your family, spend longer time to just quiet yourself and hear from God, catch up with friends, etc.

TL;DR

Make a strong commitment to make time for learning. Tell others about it and update them on your progress.
Evaluate your routine and allot the time you spend for activities that don't add value to learn instead.
Put time for learning in your schedule and commit to do your best to follow it.
Focus and minimize distractions. If priorities knock on you while you're in the zone, attend to them.
Rest well. You need it.

Forem: loumarven