how do I keep files in a commit from being part of a merge

Question

I'm using SourceTree and would like to merge a commit from staging back to master.  However, there are a few files in the commit that shouldn't be merged. I can't see where SourceTree allows me to mark the files to not merge.

How can I do this?  I'd like it to be a permanent marking, so I don't accidentally merge them in the future.

Thanks!

Seth · Answer

This type of advanced usage can't be done in SourceTree. You'll have to drop to command line.

If you have files that should never be merged between branches, you should reconsider whether they should be tracked in the repository at all.

Mikael Sandberg · Answer

Git does not allow you to select specific files that should be part of the merge, it is all or nothing. What you can do is create a new branch, check it out, and then use

git checkout source_branch <file_path> ...

The source branch is your staging and then specify the files that you want to merge into master. Once done, merge the branch with master and you should be all set.