For example, can you name a .gitignore file foo.gitignore?

Ultimately, the purpose for this being to have multiple .gitignore files for different sub-project types.

CodePudding user response：

Short answer: no, not natively.

I suggested before a content-filter driver which, on checkout, would automatically modify a .gitignore with the content of other files (like a foo.gitignore).

However, that require a local setting to activate that driver

git config filter.gitignore.smudge 'script_to_modify_gitignore'

Meaning: when you clone the repository, that mechanism would not be immediately active, not without the manual git config step.

CodePudding user response：

No, it can't. Well, more precisely, it can have a name, but that name is always .gitignore.

(Note that you can store entries in .git/info/exclude as well, but that is never a tracked file and does not get committed.)