How to Use the Command "git effort" (with examples)
Git is a popular distributed version control system that allows developers to track changes in their codebase. The “git effort” command is a useful tool that provides insight into the activity of files in a repository. It displays the number of commits per file and the total number of days that contributed to each file. This information can be helpful in understanding the level of activity and contributions to different files in a project.
Use Case 1: Displaying commits and active days for all files
Code:
git effort
Motivation:
By running git effort without any additional arguments, all the files in the repository will be displayed along with the number of commits and active days. This can be useful for gaining a general overview of the activity and contribution levels across the entire codebase.
Explanation:
git effort- This is the main command that triggers the functionality.
Example Output:
1459 15 README.md
1082 15 src/main.py
876 12 src/utils.py
743 7 tests/test.py
In the example output, the first column represents the number of commits, and the second column represents the number of active days. The file “README.md” has 1459 commits across 15 active days, indicating a high level of activity and contribution to that file.
Use Case 2: Displaying files modified by a specific number of commits or more
Code:
git effort --above 5
Motivation:
Sometimes it’s necessary to focus on files that have had a significant number of changes to analyze the level of effort or identify areas that require attention. By specifying the --above argument followed by a threshold number of commits, we can narrow down the list of files displayed to only those that meet the specified criteria.
Explanation:
--above 5- This argument instructs the “git effort” command to only display files that have been modified by five or more commits.
Example Output:
1459 15 README.md
1082 15 src/main.py
In this example output, only files with five or more commits are displayed. The files “README.md” and “src/main.py” have both surpassed the threshold.
Use Case 3: Displaying files modified by a specific author
Code:
git effort -- --author="username"
Motivation:
When collaborating on a project, it can be beneficial to analyze the contributions made by specific authors. By providing the --author argument followed by the desired username, we can filter the results to show only files modified by that particular author.
Explanation:
--author="username"- This argument filters the results to show only files modified by the specified author.
Example Output:
603 8 src/main.py
In the example output, only files modified by the author “username” are displayed. The file “src/main.py” has been exclusively modified by that author.
Use Case 4: Displaying files modified since a specific time/date
Code:
git effort -- --since="last month"
Motivation:
When tracking the activity of a project over time, it can be helpful to focus on files modified since a particular time or date. By providing the --since argument followed by the desired time/date, the “git effort” command can display only files modified since that point.
Explanation:
--since="last month"- This argument filters the results to show only files modified since the last month.
Example Output:
843 12 src/main.py
In this example output, only files modified within the last month are displayed. The file “src/main.py” has been modified during that period.
Use Case 5: Displaying specified files or directories
Code:
git effort path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...
Motivation: Sometimes it’s necessary to focus on specific files or directories when analyzing the activity and contributions within a project. By providing the paths of the desired files or directories as arguments to the “git effort” command, we can limit the displayed results to only those specified.
Explanation:
path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...- These arguments specify the files or directories to include in the results.
Example Output:
718 5 path/to/file1.py
609 9 path/to/file2.py
In the example output, only the specified files “path/to/file1.py” and “path/to/file2.py” are displayed, along with their corresponding number of commits and active days.
Use Case 6: Displaying files in a specific directory
Code:
git effort path/to/directory/*
Motivation:
In larger repositories, it can be beneficial to analyze the activity and contributions within specific directories. By providing the path to a directory followed by the * wildcard character, the “git effort” command can display the files in that directory along with their respective activity metrics.
Explanation:
path/to/directory/*- This argument allows us to specify a directory and display all files within that directory.
Example Output:
1387 14 path/to/directory/file1.py
789 11 path/to/directory/file2.py
542 8 path/to/directory/file3.py
In the example output, all the files within the “path/to/directory” are displayed, along with their corresponding number of commits and active days.
Conclusion:
The “git effort” command is a useful tool for gaining insights into the activity and contributions within a Git repository. By using various arguments and options, it allows developers to filter and analyze the files based on different criteria. Whether you want to get an overview of the entire codebase, analyze files modified by specific authors, or focus on files modified within a specific time period, the “git effort” command provides valuable information to aid in understanding the activity of a Git repository.
