How to apply stashed changes without restoring untracked files?

Applying Stashed Changes without Restoring Untracked Files

In the world of Git, the stash feature is a powerful tool that allows you to temporarily save your local changes without committing them. This is particularly useful when you need to switch to a different branch or pull the latest changes from a remote repository, but you don't want to lose the work you've done. However, there may be situations where you want to apply the stashed changes without restoring any untracked files, which can be a bit tricky.

Understand the Stash Concept

Before we dive into the solution, let's first understand the concept of the Git stash. The stash is a stack-like data structure that stores your local changes, including both staged and unstaged modifications, as well as any new files that are not yet tracked by Git. When you stash your changes, Git creates a new stash entry that you can later apply or drop as needed.

graph TD A[Working Directory] --> B[Staging Area] B --> C[Local Repository] A --> D[Stash] D --> B D --> A

Applying Stashed Changes without Restoring Untracked Files

To apply the stashed changes without restoring any untracked files, you can use the git stash apply command with the --no-untracked option. This will apply the changes from the top of the stash stack, but it will not restore any untracked files that were part of the stash.

Here's the step-by-step process:

Stash your changes: First, let's stash your current changes using the git stash command:
```
git stash
```
Create some untracked files: Now, let's create some untracked files in your working directory:
```
touch untracked_file1.txt untracked_file2.txt
```
Apply the stashed changes without restoring untracked files: Use the git stash apply command with the --no-untracked option to apply the stashed changes without restoring the untracked files:
```
git stash apply --no-untracked
```
This will apply the stashed changes to your working directory and staging area, but it will not restore the untracked files that were part of the stash.
Verify the result: You can now check the status of your repository to see that the stashed changes have been applied, but the untracked files are still present:
```
git status
```
The output should show the applied stashed changes, but the untracked files should remain in your working directory.

By using the --no-untracked option with the git stash apply command, you can selectively apply the stashed changes without restoring any untracked files. This can be particularly useful when you want to apply specific changes without introducing new, potentially unwanted files into your project.

Remember, the git stash command is a powerful tool in your Git toolbox, and understanding how to use it effectively can greatly improve your workflow and productivity.