# Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff 3 messages from 2020-06-29 to 2020-06-30. Participants: Konstantin Kharlamov, Philippe Blain. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/53768 ## Konstantin Kharlamov, 2020-06-29 10:18 Subject: Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/e37cdda3b73094f4f1a929dd181a64936a649c48.camel%40yandex.ru ``` 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, 2020-06-29 19:24 Subject: Re: Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff Message-ID: <3CA60EC2-13E9-4A1A-9A89-066CFF9CA36E@gmail.com> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/3CA60EC2-13E9-4A1A-9A89-066CFF9CA36E%40gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` Hi Konstantin, > Le 29 juin 2020 à 06:18, Konstantin Kharlamov 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, 2020-06-30 07:00 Subject: Re: Listing changed identifiers with git log/diff Message-ID: <3e6b9431b7caa9db0ebbaea292897f8bcdcf8148.camel@yandex.ru> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/3e6b9431b7caa9db0ebbaea292897f8bcdcf8148.camel%40yandex.ru In-Reply-To: <3CA60EC2-13E9-4A1A-9A89-066CFF9CA36E@gmail.com> ``` On Mon, 2020-06-29 at 15:24 -0400, Philippe Blain wrote: > Hi Konstantin, > > > Le 29 juin 2020 à 06:18, Konstantin Kharlamov 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? ```