Using .gitignore to exclude all files except for specific files or specific subdirectories | Git control of home ~/ directory | #git #gitignore #allow

.gitignore

### .gitignore home ~/ | .gitignore to exclude all files except for specific files or specific subdirectories
### CC0 Christopher Allen @ChristopherA (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

## Unlike other .gitignore patterns, using git for home ~/ is can be
## dangerous as it tracks ALL changes, including changes that may
## include secrets. This .gitignore forces you to specifically add each
## file or subdirectory to be tracked by git by adding them to this file.

## Ignore all in the root and in all subdirectories
/**

# Override ignore all to force include these specific files in the root
!.gitignore

## Override ignore all to force allow all files in a subdirectories recursively
## (pattern: allow specific subdir -> allow all in it)
## Test with `git add --dry-run .`

# !/dontignore/
# !/dontignore/**

## Override ignore to force allow specific files under a subdirectory
## (pattern: allow specific subdir -> exclude all in dir -> allow specific)
## Test with `git add --dry-run .`

# !/.ssh/
# /.ssh/**
# !/.ssh/config

## Ignore specific files in any subdirectories that have been overrides above.

**/.DS_Store

## NOTE: There does not appear to be a way to force to include a file no
## matter which subdirectory it is in. You must follow the above folder 
## include pattern for each instance of a subdirectories. Particularly relevant
## relevances if there are .gitignore files in subdirs -- they must be
## added individually.