The git assume-unchanged command in Git tells it to treat specific files as if they haven't been modified, even if they have changes. This can be useful in a few situations:
Large files: If you're working with very large files that take a long time for Git to track changes in, using assume-unchanged can speed up git status operations.
Temporary files: You might have temporary files that you don't want to commit but also don't want Git to complain about all the time. assume-unchanged can silence these warnings.
Here's a breakdown of how to use it:
Setting assume-unchanged:
Use the command git update-index --assume-unchanged <file> where <file> is the path to the file you want to mark as unchanged.
Unsetting assume-unchanged:
Use the command git update-index --no-assume-unchanged <file> to undo the previous command.
Checking assume-unchanged status:
Use the command git ls-files -v to see a list of files, including which ones have the assume-unchanged flag set.
Important caveats to consider:
assume-unchanged doesn't actually prevent changes to the file. It just tells Git to ignore them. If you accidentally modify a file marked with assume-unchanged, you'll need to manually add the changes to the staging area before committing.
It's generally recommended to use assume-unchanged sparingly. There might be better ways to handle large files or temporary files, such as using a .gitignore file or storing them outside your Git repository.
That's it !