suggestion to show changed files in branch explorer

[DaSHTech]

First, let me say I've ended up using SmartGit for my office and really don't like the merge function - I think Plastic works way better! I would really like to recommend PlasticSCM for our Git work, with one giant exception: 

I would love to see the list of files changed in the branch explorer. There is so much wasted vertical space under the branches, if I click on a changeset in the explorer timeline, I would love to see the window split to show something like the pending changes list, but just for that changeset. That way, you could click through the branch explorer and nearly instantly see the files that were updated in that change. 

[manu]

Hi @DaSHTech!

That's an idea that has been flying around a dew times in the past.

We initially discarded it because the diff view takes a lot of space, making the view very messy.

On 2/26/2022 at 7:26 PM, DaSHTech said:

That way, you could click through the branch explorer and nearly instantly see the files that were updated in that change. 

Are you referring to only the list of changed files but not the diff op, or also the diff op?

[DaSHTech]

I would be happy with simply a list of the changed files for each changeset. at that point, you could either perform a code review on the file you found or run a diff, etc. from a right-click on the file in the file list for that changeset.

An alternate way to do it would be to add a second tab on the right, next to properties, that could show the changed files for each changeset. That would take no extra screen space and you could choose which info to look at as you click through the tree.

 

[Wolfram]

I simply double-click on a changeset in the branch explorer, so I get a separate compare/diff window with all the changes and affected files of that particular changeset. It is also relatively easy and fast to "double-click" your way through different changesets this way.

However, if you are unsure which changeset contains a certain change you are looking for, I suggest you force your users to use better commit comments, as they are supposed to help you figure out what happened in a changeset, without reading through all the source code diffs 😉

[Wolfram]

Achtually, I just noticed this myself: you only need to double-click one changeset. This opens the separate comparison window. Then, clicking on any changeset in the branch explorer will update that window, so it not only shows you which files have beend changed, but you can also directly access their diffs.
(however, this trick only works if you only have ONE "Comparison" window open - with more than one, they will not update themselves)

[DaSHTech]

Hi Wolfram, thanks for the tip - I hadn't noticed it updated a separate window if you clicked through the timeline. I think that's a workable solution for me.

[DaSHTech]

On 3/28/2022 at 6:38 AM, Wolfram said:

...as for getting users to make better commit comments, well that would be me. I don't listen very well to my own helpful suggestions 😉

 

I simply double-click on a changeset in the branch explorer, so I get a separate compare/diff window with all the changes and affected files of that particular changeset. It is also relatively easy and fast to "double-click" your way through different changesets this way.

However, if you are unsure which changeset contains a certain change you are looking for, I suggest you force your users to use better commit comments, as they are supposed to help you figure out what happened in a changeset, without reading through all the source code diffs 😉