Some handy Git tips - show latest commits and searching the log and more

This article will present some tips around Git and how you can add functionality for showing the latest commits and search the log. I would like to search these aliased command to show you how they can ease your everyday use of Git from the commandline.

[alias]

glog = log --all --decorate --oneline --graph

glogf = log --all --decorate --oneline --graph --pretty=fuller

st = status

out      = !git fetch && git log FETCH_HEAD..

outgoing = !git fetch && git log FETCH_HEAD..

in       = !git fetch && git log ..FETCH_HEAD

incoming = !git fetch && git log ..FETCH_HEAD

com = "!w() { git commit --all --message \"$1\";  }; w"

undopush = "!w() { git revert HEAD~\"$1\"..HEAD;  }; w"

searchlog = "!f() { git --no-pager log --color-words --all --decorate --graph -i --grep \"$1\";  }; f"

branches =  branch --verbose --sort=-committerdate --format '%(HEAD)%(color:yellow)%(refname:short)%(color:reset) -%(color:red)%(objectname:short)%(color:reset) - %(contents:subject) -%(authorname) (%(color:green)%(committerdate:relative)%(color:reset))'

allbranches = "!g() { git branch --all --verbose --sort=-committerdate --format '%(HEAD) %(color:yellow)%(refname:short)%(color:reset) -%(color:red)%(objectname:short)%(color:reset) - %(contents:subject) -%(authorname) (%(color:green)%(committerdate:relative)%(color:reset))' --color=always | less -R;  }; g"
verify = fsck
clearlocal = clean -fd && git reset 
stash-unapply = !git stash show -p | git apply -R 
lgb = log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset%n' --abbrev-commit --date=relative --branches tree = log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset%n' --abbrev-commit --date=relative --branches alltree = log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset%n' --date=relative --branches --all
latest = "!f() { echo "Latest \"${1:-11}\" commits accross all branches:"; git log  --abbrev-commit --date=relative --branches --all --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset%n' -n ${1:-11};  } ; f"
add-commit = !git add -A && git commit
showconfig = config --global -e

[merge]
tool = kdiff3

[mergetool "kdiff3"]
cmd = \"C:\\\\Program Files\\\\KDiff3\\\\kdiff3\" $BASE $LOCAL $REMOTE -o $MERGED [core]
editor = 'c:/program files/sublime text 3/subl.exe' -w

[core]
editor = 'c:/Program Files/Sublime Text 3/sublime_text.exe'

The best aliases are how you set up Sublime Text 3 as the Git editor and also how you can show the latest commits. The latest commits use a parametrized shell function. I set the default value to 11 in this case, if you do not give a parameter. You can for example show the latest 2 commits by typing: git latest 2

latest = "!f() { echo "Latest \"${1:-11}\" commits accross all branches:"; git log  --abbrev-commit --date=relative --branches --all --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset%n' -n ${1:-11};  } ; f"

Note the use of a shell function and also that we refer to the first parameter as ${1} i bash shell script, with a :-11 to set the first param as 11. The syntax is ${n:-p} where n is the nth parameter (not starting with zero!) and p is the default value. A special syntax, but that is how bash works. Also note that a git alias with a shell function can do multiple functions, separated with semi-colon ;. The searchlog alias / shell function is also handy:

searchlog = "!f() { git --no-pager log --color-words --all --decorate --graph -i --grep \"$1\";  }; f"

Also, multiple aliases here are similar to Mercurial's in and out commands to detect incoming pushed commits and outgoing local commits. Happy Git-ing!

Finding old Git Branches with WSL and Bash

Finding old branches in Git

I had to find out which branches in a Git repository was old and output it to a file. An old branch is defined to have no commits the last four months. Here is the bash script I ended up with.

#!/bin/bash
resolveOldBranches(){
branchfile="oldbranches.txt"
declare -i branchiteration=0
branchcount=$(git branch -a | wc -l)

if [ ! -e $branchfile ] ; then
 touch $branchfile
fi

#empty the oldbranch file
: > $branchfile

for k in $(git branch -a | sed /\*/d); do


 if [ -z "$(git log -1 --since='4 months ago' -s $k)" ]; then
  echo $k | cut -d/ -f3 >> $branchfile
 fi
 branchiteration=$branchiteration+1
 percentage= bc <<< "scale=2;($branchiteration/$branchcount)*100"


 read -n 1 -t 0.1 input                  # so read doesn't hang
   if [[ $input = "q" ]] || [[ $input = "Q" ]]
   then
      echo # to get a newline after 
echo -e "XXX\n$($percentage)\nAnalyzing $branchiteration of $branchcount $(bc <<< "scale=2;($branchiteration/$branchcount)*100") % done. \n(Exit: Q/q)... \nXXX"

done | whiptail --title "Resolving OpPlan 4 branch ages" --gauge "Analyzing.. (Press Q or q to exit)" 10 60 0


}

resolveOldBranches
cat $branchfile