threads / discuss / 53768

Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff

Subject: Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff

## tl;dr

3 messages between Jun 29, 2020 and Jun 30, 2020.

replies: 2people: 2as markdown or json

Konstantin Kharlamov· Jun 29, 2020, 10:18 UTC · lore

Git is able to recognise functions/variables changed, and even allows to see the history of such identifier with `-L` option.

But I couldn't find: how does one get a list of such identifiers in `git log` or `git diff`? This would be particularly useful for projects with odd requirements to have a list of identifiers changed in the commit message.

FTR, the diff text after the "@@…@@" does not cut it because for example if the diff is at the beginning of the function, then it would have a name of the previous function, i.e. not the one modified. As a hack, I tried passing an option `-U0`, but that didn't help, for one-line identifiers it still shows the name of the prev. identifier.

Philippe Blain· Jun 29, 2020, 19:24 UTC · re: Konstantin Kharlamov · lore

Re: Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff

Hi Konstantin,

Show 7 quoted lines

> Le 29 juin 2020 à 06:18, Konstantin Kharlamov <hi-angel@yandex.ru> a écrit :
> 
> Git is able to recognise functions/variables changed, and even allows to see the history of such identifier with `-L` option.
> 
> But I couldn't find: how does one get a list of such identifiers in `git log` or `git diff`? This would be particularly useful for projects with odd requirements to have a list of identifiers changed in the commit message.
> 
> FTR, the diff text after the "@@…@@" does not cut it because for example if the diff is at the beginning of the function, then it would have a name of the previous function, i.e. not the one modified. As a hack, I tried passing an option `-U0`, but that didn't help, for one-line identifiers it still shows the name of the prev. identifier.

As far as I'm aware this is a limitation of the diff machinery. I agree with you that it would be really nice if it could work as you describe...

Cheers,

Philippe.

Konstantin Kharlamov· Jun 30, 2020, 07:00 UTC · re: Philippe Blain · lore

Re: Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff

On Mon, 2020-06-29 at 15:24 -0400, Philippe Blain wrote:

Show 20 quoted lines

> Hi Konstantin,
> 
> > Le 29 juin 2020 à 06:18, Konstantin Kharlamov <hi-angel@yandex.ru> a écrit :
> > 
> > Git is able to recognise functions/variables changed, and even allows to see
> > the history of such identifier with `-L` option.
> > 
> > But I couldn't find: how does one get a list of such identifiers in `git
> > log` or `git diff`? This would be particularly useful for projects with odd
> > requirements to have a list of identifiers changed in the commit message.
> > 
> > FTR, the diff text after the "@@…@@" does not cut it because for example if
> > the diff is at the beginning of the function, then it would have a name of
> > the previous function, i.e. not the one modified. As a hack, I tried passing
> > an option `-U0`, but that didn't help, for one-line identifiers it still
> > shows the name of the prev. identifier.
> 
> As far as I'm aware this is a limitation of the diff machinery.
> I agree with you that it would be really nice if it could work as you
> describe...

I agree, the hack I tried might be a limitation of diff. But since git per se knows identifiers changed (as it can track changes to them by passing `-L` option, like `git log -L :function_foo:src/foo.c`), shouldn't there be some other way to achieve that?