Adding and Editing an Ignore File

.gitignore

The .git folder is the local repository for a Flare Desktop project and is included when your project is bound to Git (e.g., via MadCap Flare Online). The contents of this folder are updated automatically when you perform source control tasks. The additional .gitignore file is necessary to make sure that certain folders (e.g., Analyzer, FileSync, Output, Project/Users) are ignored when you push and pull files. In most cases, you do not need to do anything with the .git folder or .gitignore file. See Git and MadCap Flare Online and Flare Desktop.

If you bind a project to Git outside of Flare Desktop (i.e., you do not use Flare Desktop's interface to do the binding), you should make sure that you have a .gitignore file. You can add the .gitignore file by selecting an option in the Source Control Explorer or Project Properties dialog. Once you have a project containing a .gitignore file, the button in the interface changes to "Edit Ignore File," so that you can open the file to make edits to it.

How to Add an Ignore File

The following steps show how to do this in the Source Control Explorer. You can also accomplish this in the Project Properties dialog (Project > Project Properties) on the Source Control tab.

  1. Select View > Source Control Explorer.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Click Settings. Then in the Ignore File section, Create Ignore File.

    • Click Pending Changes. Then next to the message at the top, click Add.

  3. Make edits in the Text Editor and save your changes.

Note If you bind a project without using the Flare Desktop interface, and then bind to Flare Online using Flare Desktop's interface, a .gitignore file is automatically added for that project.

How to Edit an Ignore File

The following steps show how to do this in the Source Control Explorer. You can also accomplish this in the Project Properties dialog (Project > Project Properties) on the Source Control tab.

  1. Select View > Source Control Explorer.

  2. Click Settings.

  3. In the Ignore File section, click Edit Ignore File.

  4. Make edits in the Text Editor and save your changes.