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

Git utimes is a command that allows you to change the modification time of files in your repository to their last commit date. This command does not affect files that are in the working tree or the index. Git utimes is a part of the git-extras package, which provides additional Git commands.

Use case 1: Change all files modification time to their last commit date

Code:

git utimes

Motivation: One possible motivation for using this command is to synchronize the modification time of files in your repository with the dates of their last commits. This can be useful when managing and organizing files, as it provides a visual indication of when the file was last modified.

Explanation: The command git utimes takes no additional arguments. It simply changes the modification time of all files in the repository to their last commit date. It does not affect files that are in the working tree or the index.

Example output: When the command git utimes is executed, the modification time of the files in the repository will be updated to match their last commit date.

Use case 2: Change files modification time that are newer than their last commit date, preserving original modification time of files that were committed from the local repository

Code:

git utimes --newer

Motivation: It may be necessary to change the modification time only for the files that have been modified since their last commit. This can be useful when keeping track of changes made to specific files and their corresponding modification dates, without affecting the modification time of other files in the repository.

Explanation: The command git utimes --newer is used to change the modification time of files that are newer than their last commit date. This means that only files that have been modified since their last commit will have their modification time updated. The command preserves the original modification time of files that were committed from the local repository.

Example output: When the command git utimes --newer is executed, the modification time of the files that have been modified since their last commit will be updated to match their last commit date. The original modification time of files that were committed from the local repository will remain unchanged.

Conclusion:

The git utimes command provides a convenient way to change the modification time of files in a Git repository to match their last commit date. It can be used to synchronize the modification time of files in the repository or selectively update the modification time of specific files. By using this command, you can easily manage and organize files based on their last modification date.