Stashing Files Independently in Git

To stash each modified file independently in Git, you have several options:

Method 1: Interactive Stash

git stash push -p

This command will:

1. Show each change (hunk) interactively

2. Ask if you want to stash it (y/n)

3. Allow splitting changes further (s)

4. Let you quit the process (q)

Method 2: Stash by File Path

For each file you want to stash separately:

git stash push -m "stash message" -- path/to/file

Example:

git stash push -m "stashed config.js" -- src/config.js
git stash push -m "stashed styles" -- src/styles.css

Method 3: Temporary Commits (Alternative)

1. Add and commit each file separately:

   git add file1.txt
   git commit -m "temp commit for file1"
   
   git add file2.txt
   git commit -m "temp commit for file2"
   

2. When restoring:

   git reset HEAD~2 # undo the last 2 commits but keep changes
   

Managing Stashes

• List stashes: git stash list

• View stash contents: git stash show -p stash@{n}

• Apply stash: git stash apply stash@{n}

• Drop stash: git stash drop stash@{n}

Note

Stashing files independently creates multiple stash entries. Use descriptive messages for easier management.

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Stashing Files Independently in Git 1.8

For Git version 1.8 (released 2012-10-21), the stash functionality is more limited. Here are the approaches:

Method 1: Interactive Stash (Available)

git stash --keep-index -p

This works similarly to newer versions:

1. Shows changes interactively

2. Prompts for each hunk (y/n/s/q)

Method 2: Stash by File (Alternative)

Git 1.8 doesn’t support direct path-based stashing. Instead:

1. Create patches for each file:

   git diff -- path/to/file > file.patch
   

2. Revert the changes:

   git checkout -- path/to/file
   

3. Later, apply the patch:

   git apply file.patch
   

Method 3: Temporary Commits

Same as newer versions:

git add file1.txt
git commit -m "temp commit for file1"

git add file2.txt
git commit -m "temp commit for file2"

Then later:

git reset HEAD~2

Important Notes for Git 1.8

• The modern git stash push syntax isn’t available (use git stash save)

• No path-based stashing (git stash -- <path> not supported)

• Interactive mode (-p) is your best option

• Consider upgrading if you frequently need this functionality

Warning

Git 1.8 reached end-of-life in 2014. Many modern features won’t be available.