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The idea that git offers a 'clean' command was revelatory to me. Your build system probably shouldn't need to know how to restore your environment to a clean st

The idea that git offers a 'clean' command was revelatory to me. Your build system probably shouldn't need to know how to restore your environment to a clean state because your source control should already know what a clean state is. That's sort essential to serving its purpose, after all. I haven't yet run into a scenario where there was a clean task that couldn't be accomplished by using flags to git clean, usually -dfx[0]. If someone has an example of something complex enough to require a separate target in the build system, I'm all ears. [0] git is my Makefile effect program. I do not know it well, and have not invested the time to learn it. This says something about me, got, or both.

withinboredom 2y ago
The problem with `git clean` is -X vs -x. -x (lowercase) removes EVERYTHING including .env files and other untracked files. -X (uppercase) removes only ignored files, but not untracked files. If there is a Makefile with a clean target, usually the first thing I do when I start is make it an alias for `git clean -X`. Usually, you want to keep your untracked files (they are usually experiments, debugging hooks, or whatever).
- mauvehaus 2y ago
  You are almost certainly right that I was using -X. It's been a while since I had to deal with git.
- RHSeeger 2y ago
  This. I have no urge to have git "clean" my project, because I'll lose a ton of files I have created locally. Rather, I want the project know what it creates when it builds and have the ability to clean/purge them. It's a never ending source of frustration for me that "gradlew clean" only cleans _some_ stuff, and there's no real "gradlew distclean".
  - Terr_ 2y ago
    Hmm, I wonder what's the best way™ to, er "locally backup" those files, in such a way that no git-clean invocation will remove them without promoting. All I can think of are things like periodically copying them to another folder, or give them a different ownership needed for edit/delete, etc. Unless there's some kind of .gitpreserve feature...
    - gjadi 2y ago
      You can have locally ignores files in .git/info/exclude IIRC.
      - Terr_ 2y ago
        I know there are local-only git settings, but AFAIK ignore-status won't protect files from being removed/overwritten by all possible git commands, it just means they won't be accidentally staged/committed.
rixed 2y ago
make clean is supposed to clean the intermediary files only but keep the actual build targets (typically what you want to install)
- computerfriend 2y ago
  You might want .INTERMEDIATE in that case.

withinboredom 2y ago

The problem with `git clean` is -X vs -x. -x (lowercase) removes EVERYTHING including .env files and other untracked files. -X (uppercase) removes only ignored files, but not untracked files. If there is a Makefile with a clean target, usually the first thing I do when I start is make it an alias for `git clean -X`. Usually, you want to keep your untracked files (they are usually experiments, debugging hooks, or whatever).

mauvehaus 2y ago
You are almost certainly right that I was using -X. It's been a while since I had to deal with git.
RHSeeger 2y ago
This. I have no urge to have git "clean" my project, because I'll lose a ton of files I have created locally. Rather, I want the project know what it creates when it builds and have the ability to clean/purge them. It's a never ending source of frustration for me that "gradlew clean" only cleans _some_ stuff, and there's no real "gradlew distclean".
- Terr_ 2y ago
  Hmm, I wonder what's the best way™ to, er "locally backup" those files, in such a way that no git-clean invocation will remove them without promoting. All I can think of are things like periodically copying them to another folder, or give them a different ownership needed for edit/delete, etc. Unless there's some kind of .gitpreserve feature...
  - gjadi 2y ago
    You can have locally ignores files in .git/info/exclude IIRC.
    - Terr_ 2y ago
      I know there are local-only git settings, but AFAIK ignore-status won't protect files from being removed/overwritten by all possible git commands, it just means they won't be accidentally staged/committed.

rixed 2y ago

make clean is supposed to clean the intermediary files only but keep the actual build targets (typically what you want to install)

computerfriend 2y ago
You might want .INTERMEDIATE in that case.