title: How to make git ignore a directory while merging
body: <p>As interesting and useful as the answer to <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3111515/how-to-setup-a-git-driver-to-ignore-a-folder-on-merge">How to setup a git driver to ignore a folder on merge</a> was, it did not answer the original question which still has me stumped.</p>
  
  <p>Unlike the question linked to above, I have two branches with the same set of directories and for merging one into the other I need git to ignore one directory completely.</p>
  
  <p>I tried it with my own merge driver as described in <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/928646/how-do-i-tell-git-to-always-select-my-local-version-for-conflicted-merges-on-a-s?lq=1">How do I tell git to always select my local version for conflicted merges on a specific file?</a> but the problem with this approach is that this driver is only invoked when there is an actual conflicting file in these two branches. Whenever the changes of a file are only on one branch, git merges them without calling my merge driver.</p>
  
  <p>This leads to changes in files in the directory that I do not want. Any idea how I could make git ignore each and every file in that directory all the time - whether it was touched or not?</p>