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Add files to .gitignore directly from git shell

I'm trying to add a specific file to .gitignore directly from git shell. File to ignore is token.mat

If I type:

touch .gitignore

and then manually open .gitignore with a text editor and add 

token.mat

save and close, it works, git ignores it (when I type git status at the git shell I no longer see token.mat)

However at the git shell if I type:

touch .gitignore
echo 'token.mat' >> .gitignore

then git does not ignore token.mat, when I type git status I still see it. However when I open .gitignore with a text edit I see token.mat listed and it looks exactly the same as when I add it manually.

Does anyone know why this is, or how I can add files to .gitignore directly from the git shell?

Thanks for any help in advance!!

Other details:

  • Windows 7 Professional, service pack 1
  • git version: 2.5.3.windows.1
  • text editor: Notepad ++
Solution

  • Make sure your echo did not add a trailing space:

    echo 'token.mat'>>.gitignore

    That way, the .gitignore should work.

    >> is for appending to the .gitignore file, while a single > would have overwritten it completely.

    Also, 2.5 is ancient: unzip the latest Git, as in PortableGit-2.14.1-64-bit.7z.exe, anywhere you want, add it to your %PATH%, and check again.