A bash function to build a path, complete with `.gitkeep` files

.bash_alias

# paste this into your shell alias file
#
# Usage:
#     mkfolder one/two/three/four
#
# This will produce a directory tree that looks like this:
#
# |-- one
# |   |-- .gitkeep
# |   `-- two
# |       |-- .gitkeep
# |       `-- three
# |           |-- .gitkeep
# |           `-- four
# |               |-- .gitkeep
# |               `-- five
# |                   |-- .gitkeep
# |                   `-- six
# |                       `-- .gitkeep
#
mkfolder () {
    # get the current directory (to return to it at the end)
    #
    local start=$(pwd)

    # get the requested path
    #
    local newpath="$1"

    # is the path empty? if so, just exit quietly
    #
    if [ -z "$newpath" ]; then
        exit 0
    fi

    # make the requested path, along with all the intermediate directories
    #
    mkdir -p "$newpath"

    # cd into this path
    #
    cd "$newpath"

    # get the current location
    #
    local curr=$(pwd)

    # loop while we're not at the start and we're not at the root
    #
    while [[ "$start" != "$curr" ]] && [[ "$curr" != "/" ]]; do
        # touch the .gitkeep file
        #
        touch .gitkeep

        # move up one level
        #
        cd ..

        # get the current directory
        #
        curr=$(pwd)
    done
}

When I'm working in git, I want my full directory tree to be saved in the repository, even if the directories are empty. To that end, I have adopted the convention of using .gitkeep files to maintain those directories. See this StackOverflow answer for an explanation.

To use it, just do mkfolder this/is/my/path and all the directories and .gitkeep files will be created. Then you can commit the .gitkeep files to your repository and the directories will be committed.