How to use the command 'git difftool' (with examples)

Git difftool is a command that allows you to view file changes using external diff tools. It accepts the same options and arguments as the git diff command. This article will illustrate some useful use cases of the git difftool command.

Use case 1: List available diff tools

Code:

git difftool --tool-help

Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to view the available diff tools that you can use with git difftool. It provides a list of available tools and their descriptions.

Explanation: The --tool-help option displays the list of available diff tools.

Example output:

'git difftool --tool=<tool>' may be set to one of the following:
            araxis
            bc
            codecompare
            deltawalker
            diffmerge
            diffuse
            ecmerge
            emerge
            examdiff
            gvimdiff
            kdiff3
            meld
            opendiff
            p4merge
            tkdiff
            tortoisemerge
            vimdiff
            vimdiff2
            xxdiff

Use case 2: Set the default diff tool to meld

Code:

git config --global diff.tool "meld"

Motivation: By setting the default diff tool, you can avoid specifying the tool every time you use git difftool. In this example, we set the default diff tool to meld.

Explanation: The git config --global command is used to set the configuration option globally. diff.tool is the configuration option for the default diff tool. In this case, we set it to “meld”.

Example output: None

Use case 3: Use the default diff tool to show staged changes

Code:

git difftool --staged

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to view the changes that are staged for the next commit using the default diff tool.

Explanation: The --staged option is used to show the changes that are currently staged for the next commit.

Example output: (The output will depend on the default diff tool and the changes that are staged)

Use case 4: Use a specific tool (opendiff) to show changes since a given commit

Code:

git difftool --tool=opendiff commit

Motivation: Sometimes you may want to use a specific diff tool to view the changes since a given commit. In this example, we use the “opendiff” tool.

Explanation: The --tool=<tool> option is used to specify a specific diff tool to use. In this case, we use the “opendiff” tool. The commit argument is used to specify the commit against which we want to compare the changes.

Example output: (The output will depend on the opendiff tool and the changes made since the given commit)

Conclusion:

The git difftool command is a powerful tool that allows you to view file changes using external diff tools. It provides several useful use cases, such as listing available diff tools, setting the default diff tool, showing staged changes, and using specific diff tools for comparing changes against specific commits. By leveraging these use cases, you can improve your workflow and efficiently track and manage file changes in your Git repositories.