You can exclude specific files, folders, and file types from deliveries, for example:
backup files
built artifacts
To exclude items you define ignore rules in a .dmignore file. Each location (a folder or directory) has a single .dmignore file but you can have multiple ignore files across a hierarchy of folders. You can also apply ignore rules recursively, for example, you can ignore all *.tmp files in the current folder and all child folders.
Rules are color coded when you edit them using the Dimensions CM context menu Ignore Rules option:
Recursive rules: blue
Regular rules: black
Comments: green
Clear: magenta
You can edit ignore rules in any text editor but they are not color coded.
NOTE
Rules are case insensitive in work areas on Windows and case sensitive on Linux.
You can use wildcards:
*: any character.
?: any single character.
To place .dmignore files under source control, deliver them to a stream or project. To use the same ignore rules with other work areas, fetch the .dmignore files. For example, there is a .dmignore file at the root of a stream but you only update an empty work area from a subfolder. When you deliver changes, the file is missing and its ignore rules are not applied. To apply the rules, fetch the .dmignore file from the stream (or create a copy locally).
In wizards where you deliver changes you can optionally disable ignore rules. For example, you may want to deliver all files, including those that you do not normally need to control.
To edit .dmignore files in a language that corresponds to your locale, on your machine check the language settings for non-Unicode programs.
Ignore rules are not the same as the include and exclude local files filters in the Merge, Synchronize, and Deliver wizards. Ignore rules only apply to local files; include and exclude filters apply to any kind of change.
To use ignore rules with the web client you must use Web Client Tools.
You can also ignore items when you run a shelving operation.
Use the following rules to ignore uncontrolled files and folders:
<folder name>
Ignores a specific folder, for example, to ignore the folder foo:
foo
<file name>
Ignores a specific file, for example, to ignore the file f.tmp:
f.tmp
*.<file extension>
Ignores all files with a specific extension, for example, to ignore files with the extension .tmp:
*.tmp
r:*.<file extension>
Recursively ignores all files with a specific extension starting from the location of the current dmignore file. For example, to recursively ignore all *.tmp files in the current folder and all child folders:
r:*.tmp
r:<folder or file name>
Recursively ignores a specific file or folder. For example, to ignore all Debug folders in the work area hierarchy, add the following rule to a .dmignore file in the work area root:
r:Debug
:<comment>
Start a line with a colon (:) to add a comment, for example:
:This is a comment that does not affect the ignore rules
You can also add an inline comment after a rule by prefixing it with a colon, for example:
r:Debug :My comment about this rule
c:
Clears all recursive rules inherited from parent .dmignore files. For example, if a parent ignore file includes:
r:*.xml
and you add c: to the current ignore file, then all .xml files in the current folder, and its child folders, are not ignored.
Use the ? symbol as any single wildcard character in a file or folder name or extension. For example, to recursively ignore all work area files with extensions PK3 and PK4:
r:*.pk?
In Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where you want to ignore files and/or folders.
Select one or more items.
Right-click, select Dimensions | Ignore Rules, and select one of these options:
Ignore <file/folder name>
Ignores a specific file or folder.
Ignore <file/folder name> recursively
Ignores a specific file or folder recursively.
Ignore all selected
Ignores all selected files and folders.
Ignore all selected recursively
Ignores all selected files and folders recursively.
Ignore *.<file extension>
Ignores all the selected file types.
Ignore *.<file extension> recursively
Ignores all the selected file types recursively.
The appropriate ignore rules are added to the .dmignore file and you do not need to add them manually.
In Windows Explorer, select the folder where you want to edit ignore rules.
Right-click, select Dimensions | Ignore Rules, and select Edit .dmignore.
Add and modify ignore rules.
NOTE If the Windows Explorer Dimensions CM integration is not installed, to add and edit ignore rules create a file called .dmignore. The file must have a leading and trailing dot (.).
In Windows Explorer, select the folder where you want to cancel all recursive ignore rules inherited from parent ignore files.
Right-click, select Dimensions | Ignore Rules, and select Edit .dmignore.
Enter c: