###### Table of Contents
- [[]]
- [[]]
- [[]]
- [[]]
### Slash
The slash symbol (`/`) represents a directory separator. The slash at the beginning of a pattern is relative to the directory where the `.gitignore` resides.
If the pattern starts with a slash, it matches files and directories only in the repository root.
If the pattern doesn’t start with a slash, it matches files and directories in any directory or subdirectory.
If the pattern ends with a slash, it matches only directories. When a directory is ignored, all of its files and subdirectories are also ignored.
### Debugging
```zsh
git check-ignore -v example.txt
```
[Debugging .gitignore](https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/saving-changes/gitignore#debugging)
After you add a previously-tracked file to `.gitignore`, make sure it is not a tracked file any longer (or it will still take changes) by running the following:
```zsh
git rm --cached example.txt
```
#### More info
[.gitignore](https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/saving-changes/gitignore)
___
**Tags**: