Problem with CRLF line endings and colored diff

Hello list!

I'm using CRLF line endings on the files of a project and I'm running into odd output from 'git diff'. Here are the steps to reproduce:

    git init
    echo -e 'line1\r' > file
    git add file
    echo -e 'line2\r' > file
    PAGER='less -R' git diff --color

The output looks like this:

    diff --git a/file b/file
    index 495181c..a1413a4 100644
    --- a/file
    +++ b/file
    @@ -1 +1 @@
    -line1
    +line2^M

Note the trailing ^M on the '+' line. After examining that line it seems it's a bug in git, as that line really looks like this (<...> denoting ANSI sequences or CR/LF):

    <GREEN FOREGROUND>+<RESET><GREEN FOREGROUND>
    line2<RESET><RED BACKGROUND><CR><RESET><LF>

The CR and the LF are not after each other, there's an ANSI sequence in between (because the CR is being highlighted as white space). That confuses 'less'. The '-' line above does not do that and thus doesn't have this problem. It also doesn't reset the color between the '-' and the line:

    <RED FOREGROUND>-line1<RESET><CR><LF>

I tried poking around the code, but the diff machinery is more complex than could be quickly grasped, so I'll let someone that knows it already have a look.

Using git 1.6.0.2, but have the same problem with HEAD.

jlh

Jean-Luc Herren <jlh@gmx.ch> writes:

This is expected and deliberate, as you haven't told about your desire to consider carriage-returns not as line termination letter. By default CR is just one of the whitespace letters, and colored diff output is reminding you that you introduced a line with a trailing whitespace.

Check git-config(1) and look for "core.whitespace", paying special attention to "cr-at-eol".

Junio C Hamano wrote:

Ah, I see, I didn't know I have to tell it that I want to use CRLF... Works fine now. Sorry for the noise.

jlh