Git Integration

Git Integration

Xplorer provides built-in Git support powered by the git2 Rust crate, giving you repository management directly within the file explorer.

Repository Detection

When you navigate into a directory, Xplorer automatically checks whether it (or any parent directory) is a Git repository. If a repository is detected:

1. The Git History panel becomes available in the bottom panel
2. File status indicators appear on files in the file grid
3. Branch information is shown in the status bar

Commit History

The Git History tab in the bottom panel displays the full commit log:

• Author, date, and commit message for each entry
• Pagination for large repositories
• Click any commit to view its full diff

File History

Select a file and open the Git History panel to see every commit that modified that file. This is useful for understanding how a specific file evolved over time.

File Blame

View line-by-line annotations showing who last modified each line of a file. Click a blame entry to jump to the corresponding commit.

Diff Viewer

Commit Diff

View all changes introduced by a commit:

| Indicator | Meaning | | --------- | ---------------------- | | Green | Added files or lines | | Red | Removed files or lines | | Yellow | Modified files |

Changes are displayed in unified diff format with surrounding context lines.

File Diff

Compare a file between any two commits, or between the working tree and HEAD.

Branch Management

| Operation | Description | | ------------- | ---------------------------------- | | List Branches | View all local and remote branches | | Create Branch | Create a new branch from HEAD | | Switch Branch | Checkout a different branch | | Delete Branch | Remove a local branch |

The current branch is highlighted in the branch list, along with metadata such as the last commit and author.

Staging and Commits

Working Tree Status

Files in the grid show their git status:

| Status | Meaning | | --------- | ---------------------------------- | | Modified | File has uncommitted changes | | Staged | File is staged for the next commit | | Untracked | New file not yet tracked by git | | Deleted | File has been removed | | Renamed | File has been renamed |

Committing

Stage files and create commits directly from the Git panel. Write a commit message and click Commit to record your changes.

Stash Management

| Operation | Description | | ------------- | ------------------------------------- | | Stash Changes | Save uncommitted changes to the stash | | List Stashes | View all stashed change sets | | Pop Stash | Apply and remove the latest stash | | Apply Stash | Apply a stash without removing it | | Drop Stash | Delete a stash entry |

Remote Operations

| Operation | Description | | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Fetch | Download objects and refs from a remote | | Pull | Fetch and merge (fast-forward) from the remote branch | | Push | Upload local commits to the remote branch | | Force Push | Push with --force (requires confirmation) |

GitLens Panel

The bottom panel includes a GitLens tab with a commit timeline visualization. This shows a chronological view of commits on the current branch, making it easy to see activity patterns and navigate through project history.

Technical Details

Git integration runs as an extension (examples/git-extension) and exposes its functionality through the api.git namespace. All operations are powered by the git2 Rust crate, which provides native Git support without requiring a system Git installation.