diff.md

Git Diff

Syntax

unstaged changes

git diff

changes in last commit

git show

changes of current branch with other branch

git diff <other_branch>

changes of specific file

git diff <file_relative_path>

changes of branch1 and branch2 and specific file

git diff branch1 branch2 file

changed files

git diff --name-only

diff output explanation

When you run the command git diff branch1 branch2 file. important parts of the output:

1. File Header:

   diff --git a/file b/file

   This line indicates that the comparison is being made between the two versions of file in the two branches. a/file represents the file in branch1, and b/file represents the file in branch2.

2. File Path:

   --- a/file
   +++ b/file

   These lines indicate the file paths in the respective branches. --- a/file corresponds to branch1 and +++ b/file corresponds to branch2.

3. Change Hunk Headers:

   @@ -1,5 +1,6 @@

   This line shows the range of lines that are being changed. The -1,5 indicates that the changes start at line 1 and span 5 lines in branch1, and the +1,6 indicates that the changes start at line 1 and span 6 lines in branch2.

4. Actual Changes:

   -line in branch1 that is being removed
   +line in branch2 that is being added

   Lines starting with - are present in branch1 but not in branch2. Lines starting with + are present in branch2 but not in branch1. Lines without any prefix are unchanged and provide context.

   Example:

   -print("Hello from branch1")
   +print("Hello from branch2")