Improve instructions around how to set git-prompt preference variables.
cover Improve instructions around how to set git-prompt preference variables.
When I first tried to use the git-prompt.sh script, I followed the instructions at the top of the file and everything worked, except for the "GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE" preference. Even though I had it set to true, I wasn't seeing the "()" and "(+)" in my shell prompt. After a few hours of poking around, I finally discovered what I had done wrong: I was setting the variable *after the "source ~/.git-prompt.sh" line, and it has to be set before.
I moved the lines around my .bashrc script and got everything working, but I thought the instructions could be a bit more explicit about how to set these preference variables, especially because this is a silent failure situation; the preference doesn't work if you get the order wrong and there are no warnings or errors to guide you.
This patch started as a PR on the official Github project two years ago (
https://github.com/git/git/pull/425), back when I didn't know the official process for submitting patches. Luckily, a kind user (@dscho) saw it and pointed me in the right direction to get it submitted.
This will be my first time submitting a patch, so hopefully I've figured out the process.
Edward D'Souza (1):
git-prompt.sh: update shell variable instructions.
contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh | 5 +++++ 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)
base-commit: cb5918aa0d50f50e83787f65c2ddc3dcb10159fe
Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-255%2Fghedsouza%2Fpatch-1-v1
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-255/ghedsouza/patch-1-v1
Pull-Request: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/pull/255
Signature · 1 line
gitgitgadget
PATCH 1/1 git-prompt.sh: update shell variable instructions.
From: Edward D'Souza <[email protected]>
Clarify the need to set variables like GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE before "source ~/.git-prompt.sh" is executed in your shell init process.
If you set these preferences too late i.e. after .git-prompt.sh executes, they will silently fail to take effect.
--- contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh | 5 +++++ 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)
contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh +5 -0
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ # # The prompt status always includes the current branch name. # +# The prompt can be customized by setting various shell variables +# (GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE, GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE, etc.), which are described +# below. Make sure that these variables get set *before* the +# "source ~/.git-prompt.sh" line from step 2 (above) runs. +# # In addition, if you set GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE to a nonempty value, # unstaged (*) and staged (+) changes will be shown next to the branch # name. You can configure this per-repository with the
Signature · 1 line
gitgitgadget
Re: [PATCH 1/1] git-prompt.sh: update shell variable instructions.
Quoted 7 lines · Edward D'Souza via GitGitGadget
From: Edward D'Souza <[email protected]>
Clarify the need to set variables like
GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATEbefore "source~/.git-prompt.sh" is executed in your shell init process.If you set these preferences too late i.e. after
.git-prompt.shexecutes, they will silently fail to take effect.
I can't reproduce this. It doesn't matter when these variables are set, because __git_ps1() checks them each time it is invoked, it always has.
$ echo $GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE $GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE $GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES
/tmp/repo$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in /tmp/repo/.git/
/tmp/repo (master)$ echo 1 >file
/tmp/repo (master)$ git add file
/tmp/repo (master)$ git commit -q -m initial
/tmp/repo (master)$ echo 2 >file
/tmp/repo (master)$ git stash
Saved working directory and index state WIP on master: 5ae0413 initial
/tmp/repo (master)$ echo 3 >file
/tmp/repo (master)$ git add file
/tmp/repo (master)$ echo 4 >file
/tmp/repo (master)$ >untracked
/tmp/repo (master)$ GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE=y
/tmp/repo (master $)$ GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE=y
/tmp/repo (master *+$)$ GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES=y
/tmp/repo (master *+$%)$ unset GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES /tmp/repo (master)$
Note that some of these status indicators are controlled not only by environment variables but by corresponding 'bash.<indicator>' config variables as well. Even if the env var is set to enable the status indicator globally, the config setting can still override that to allow disabling potentially expensive indicators on a per-repo basis. Is it possible that you had e.g. 'bash.showDirtyState = false' in your config somewhere?
Anyway, even if the issue were real, this patch goes in the wrong
direction: instead of requiring a workaround from users, we should rather fix the issue.
Quoted 23 lines
Signed-off-by Edward D'Souza <[email protected]>--- contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh | 5 +++++ 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh +5
-0@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ # # The prompt status always includes the current branch name. # +# The prompt can be customized by setting various shell variables +# (GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE, GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE, etc.), which are described +# below. Make sure that these variables get set *before* the +# "source ~/.git-prompt.sh" line from step 2 (above) runs. +# # In addition, if you set GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE to a nonempty value, # unstaged (*) and staged (+) changes will be shown next to the branch # name. You can configure this per-repository with theSignature · 1 line
gitgitgadget
Re: [PATCH 1/1] git-prompt.sh: update shell variable instructions.
Confirming that I can't reproduce this either. Should have done that first before continuing with a PR from two years ago!
Quoted 70 lines · SZEDER Gábor
Quoted 7 lines · Edward D'Souza via GitGitGadget
From: Edward D'Souza <[email protected]>
Clarify the need to set variables like
GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATEbefore "source~/.git-prompt.sh" is executed in your shell init process.If you set these preferences too late i.e. after
.git-prompt.shexecutes, they will silently fail to take effect.I can't reproduce this. It doesn't matter when these variables are set, because
__git_ps1()checks them each time it is invoked, it always has.$ echo $GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE $GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE $GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES
/tmp/repo$git init
Initialized empty Git repository in/tmp/repo/.git/
/tmp/repo(master)$ echo 1 >file
/tmp/repo(master)$ git add file
/tmp/repo(master)$ git commit -q -m initial
/tmp/repo(master)$ echo 2 >file
/tmp/repo(master)$ git stash
Saved working directory and index state WIP on master: 5ae0413 initial
/tmp/repo(master)$ echo 3 >file
/tmp/repo(master)$ git add file
/tmp/repo(master)$ echo 4 >file
/tmp/repo(master)$ >untracked
/tmp/repo(master)$ GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE=y
/tmp/repo(master $)$ GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE=y
/tmp/repo(master *+$)$ GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES=y
/tmp/repo(master *+$%)$ unsetGIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATEGIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATEGIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES/tmp/repo(master)$Note that some of these status indicators are controlled not only by environment variables but by corresponding 'bash.<indicator>' config variables as well. Even if the env var is set to enable the status indicator globally, the config setting can still override that to allow disabling potentially expensive indicators on a per-repo basis. Is it possible that you had e.g. 'bash.showDirtyState = false' in your config somewhere?
Anyway, even if the issue were real, this patch goes in the wrong
direction: instead of requiring a workaround from users, we should rather fix the issue.Quoted 23 lines
Signed-off-by Edward D'Souza <[email protected]>--- contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh | 5 +++++ 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh +5
-1@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ # # The prompt status always includes the current branch name. # +# The prompt can be customized by setting various shell variables +# (GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE, GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE, etc.), which are described +# below. Make sure that these variables get set *before* the +# "source ~/.git-prompt.sh" line from step 2 (above) runs. +# # In addition, if you set GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE to a nonempty value, # unstaged (*) and staged (+) changes will be shown next to the branch # name. You can configure this per-repository with the --gitgitgadget