Git log cheat-sheet

because the documentation is not organized the way I want it.

Custom formats

git log --format="format string goes here"

where format can include these special variables:

• hash : the whole thing is %H or abbreviated %h
• message: The whole thing is %B; first line (aka subject) is %s and the rest (aka body) is in %b.
• author: name (%an) and email (%ae)
• committer: name (%cn) and email (%ce)
• dates:

• branches and tags: %d (like –decorate)
• useful characters
  • newline: %n
  • percent: %%
  • hex character: %x00
• change the colors: %Cred %Cblue %Cgreen %Creset

Weird things I haven’t wanted to use yet:

• tree fingerprint: whole hash %T or abbreviated %t
• parent hashes: whole %P or abbreviated %p
• encoding: %e
• first line of commit message, except turned into a filename: %f
• commit notes: %N
• signed commits: %GG for message, %G? for bad/good, %GS for signer
• reflog information: use with -g only.
  • selector: %gd for the descriptor like HEAD@{1}, or %gD for a longer version
  • identity (when is this ever not you?): name is %gn and email %ge
  • subject: how did we get here? %gs
• boundary mark (I only see it printing greater-than): %m
• make a newline before the field only if it has something in it: (for instance, the mssage body) %+b
• space-delimit, so put a space before the field only if it has something in it: % field (there’s a space in there)
• if you want a newline after the last message, use tformat insteam of format.