[mbakke]

For those who resonate with "why might this be useful", here are "plain git" alternatives to this tool:

> searching for a function I deleted

    git log -G someFunc

> quickly looking at a file on another branch to copy a line from it

I use `git worktree` to "mount" long-running branches much to the same effect as Julias tool. To quickly look at a file from a non-mounted branch/commit, I use:

    git show $REF:$FILENAME

> searching every branch for a function

    git log --all -G someFunc

Note that -G can be replaced with -F for a speedup if the pattern you are searching for is a fixed string.

[masklinn]

> searching for a function I deleted

> git log -G someFunc

This will look for all changes mentioning someFunc throughout the history of the project.

Usually -S is more valuable, as it will look for changes in occurrence counts. So if you moved a call in a commit -G will flag it, but -S will ignore it (+1-1 = 0).

-S also defaults to fixed string, so no need for -F. Instead you need —pickaxe-regex to switch it to regex search.

[globular-toast]

Magit has a really easy to use way to "step" through previous versions of files. It's usually bound to something like "C-f p". You get a read only buffer of the previous version open in the best text editor (emacs). You can then press n and p to step through next and previous versions of that file. Can be pretty useful!

It's kind of funny, I think, how most git users don't seem to know how to access any version other than the current one. So many people think of it simply as the annoying tool you have to use to make code changes but don't really know what version control is.

[divbzero]

That’s a pretty cool feature of Magit.

I was inspired to look for something similar for the next best text editor (vim) and came across this: https://salferrarello.com/using-vim-view-git-commits/

    git log | vim -R -

Placing your cursor over a commit hash and entering K displays git show for that commit.

[masklinn]

My bread and butter is jumping via blame, though I don’t really like emacs’ blame view so I generally use intellij or git gui.

e.g. see something odd / interesting, activate blame view, and “show diff” / “annotate previous revision” to see how the hunk evolved. Often this provides fast-tracking through the file’s history as the hunk goes through inconsequential changes (e.g. reformatting, minor updates) without changing the gist of what sparked your interest.

[cnity]

Similarly with fugitive in vim, which is fantastic. Diffing, resolving conflicts, and moving through file revisions (and a lot more).

[tambourine_man]

If you’re a Vim user, fugitive by tpope is a great tool

[levidos]

Extremely handy, saving these. Thank you.