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What to Ignore

We've talked about how to ignore files, but the deeper question is what should you ignore? Here are some rules of thumb for coding projects:

Ignore things that can be generated (e.g. compiled code, minified files, etc.)
Ignore dependencies (e.g. node_modules, venv, packages, etc.)
Ignore things that are personal or specific to how you like to work (e.g. editor settings)
Ignore things that are sensitive or dangerous (e.g. .env files, passwords, API keys, etc.)

Part Deux

We've covered a lot of Git basics so far. There's certainly more you can learn, but now you have a solid foundation to work with as a developer. If you want more, there is a Part 2 of Learn Git where we cover more advanced topics.

Assignment

Let's ignore a generated file. We ignore generated files because they can easily be regenerated from the stuff we do track. In this case, we're going to use Pandoc to generate HTML from a Markdown file. We'll ignore the HTML file, but commit the Markdown file.

Install Pandoc, a command line tool for converting between different document formats.
for Mac Users
```
brew install pandoc
```
for Linux/WSL Users
```
sudo apt install pandoc
```
Run pandoc --version to ensure it's installed. See the installation guide if you're having trouble.
Create a new file at the root of the repository called advert.md with the following content:

# WebFlyx: The Future of Content

You thought you knew what the web was capable of. You were _wrong_. WebFlyx is taking the world of online entertainment to an entirely new level. Grab a copy of it at your local electronics store today!

**Available on Floppy Disk!**

_While supplies last._

Run the following command to generate an HTML document (webpage) from the Markdown file:

pandoc advert.md -o advert.html

For fun, open the HTML in your browser to see a nicely formatted version of the Markdown file.
for Windows (WSL) Users
```
explorer.exe advert.html
```
for Mac Users
```
open advert.html
```
for Linux Users
```
xdg-open advert.html
```
Add the advert.html file to the .gitignore file and commit your changes with a message starting with N:.

Run and submit the CLI tests from the root of the project.

Tip

If you accidentally staged or committed advert.html, adding it to the .gitignore file won't remove it from the repository. You'll need to remove it manually (at which point it will continue to be ignored going forward):

git rm --cached advert.html

What to Ignore

Part Deux

Assignment

for Mac Users

for Linux/WSL Users

for Windows (WSL) Users

for Mac Users

for Linux Users

Tip