vim-fugitive/README.markdown

fugitive.vim
============

I'm not going to lie to you; fugitive.vim may very well be the best
Git wrapper of all time.  Check out these features:

View any blob, tree, commit, or tag in the repository with `:Gedit` (and
`:Gsplit`, `:Gvsplit`, `:Gtabedit`, ...).  Edit a file in the index and
write to it to stage the changes.  Use `:Gdiff` to bring up the staged
version of the file side by side with the working tree version and use
Vim's diff handling capabilities to stage a subset of the file's
changes.

Bring up the output of `git status` with `:Gstatus`.  Press `-` to
`add`/`reset` a file's changes, or `p` to `add`/`reset` `--patch` that
mofo.  And guess what `:Gcommit` does!

`:Gblame` brings up an interactive vertical split with `git blame`
output.  Press enter on a line to reblame the file as it stood in that
commit, or `o` to open that commit in a split.  When you're done, use
`:Gedit` in the historic buffer to go back to the work tree version.

`:Gmove` does a `git mv` on a file and simultaneously renames the
buffer.  `:Gremove` does a `git rm` on a file and simultaneously deletes
the buffer.

Use `:Ggrep` to search the work tree (or any arbitrary commit) with
`git grep`, skipping over that which is not tracked in the repository.
`:Glog` loads all previous revisions of a file into the quickfix list so
you can iterate over them and watch the file evolve!

`:Gread` is a variant of `git checkout -- filename` that operates on the
buffer rather than the filename.  This means you can use `u` to undo it
and you never get any warnings about the file changing outside Vim.
`:Gwrite` writes to both the work tree and index versions of a file,
making it like `git add` when called from a work tree file and like
`git checkout` when called from the index or a blob in history.

Use `:Gbrowse` to open the current file on GitHub, with optional line
range (try it in visual mode!).  If your current repository isn't on
GitHub, `git instaweb` will be spun up instead.

Add `%{fugitive#statusline()}` to `'statusline'` to get an indicator
with the current branch in (surprise!) your statusline.

Oh, and of course there's `:Git` for running any arbitrary command.

Screencasts
-----------

* [A complement to command line git](http://vimcasts.org/e/31)
* [Working with the git index](http://vimcasts.org/e/32)
* [Resolving merge conflicts with vimdiff](http://vimcasts.org/e/33)
* [Browsing the git object database](http://vimcasts.org/e/34)
* [Exploring the history of a git repository](http://vimcasts.org/e/35)

Installation
------------

If you don't have a preferred installation method, I recommend
installing [pathogen.vim](https://github.com/tpope/vim-pathogen), and
then simply copy and paste:

    cd ~/.vim/bundle
    git clone git://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive.git

Once help tags have been generated, you can view the manual with
`:help fugitive`.

If your Vim version is below 7.2, I recommend also installing
[vim-git](https://github.com/tpope/vim-git) for syntax highlighting and
other Git niceties.

FAQ
---

> I installed the plugin and started Vim.  Why don't any of the commands
> exist?

Fugitive cares about the current file, not the current working
directory.  Edit a file from the repository.

> I opened a new tab.  Why don't any of the commands exist?

Fugitive cares about the current file, not the current working
directory.  Edit a file from the repository.

> Why is `:Gbrowse` not using my system default browser?

`:Gbrowse` delegates to `git web--browse`, which is less than perfect
when it comes to finding the default browser on Linux.  You can tell it
the correct browser to use with `git config --global web.browser ...`.
See `git web--browse --help` for details.

> Here's a patch that automatically opens the quickfix window after
> `:Ggrep`.

This is a great example of why I recommend asking before patching.
There are valid arguments to be made both for and against automatically
opening the quickfix window.  Whenever I have to make an arbitrary
decision like this, I ask what Vim would do.  And Vim does not open a
quickfix window after `:grep`.

Luckily, it's easy to implement the desired behavior without changing
fugitive.vim.  The following autocommand will cause the quickfix window
to open after any grep invocation:

    autocmd QuickFixCmdPost *grep* cwindow

Contributing
------------

Before reporting a bug, you should try stripping down your Vim
configuration and removing other plugins.  The sad nature of VimScript
is that it is fraught with incompatibilities waiting to happen.  I'm
happy to work around them where I can, but it's up to you to isolate
the conflict.

If your [commit message sucks](http://stopwritingramblingcommitmessages.com/),
I'm not going to accept your pull request.  I've explained very politely
dozens of times that
[my general guidelines](http://tbaggery.com/2008/04/19/a-note-about-git-commit-messages.html)
are absolute rules on my own repositories, so I may lack the energy to
explain it to you yet another time.  And please, if I ask you to change
something, `git commit --amend`.

Beyond that, don't be shy about asking before patching.  What takes you
hours might take me minutes simply because I have both domain knowledge
and a perverse knowledge of VimScript so vast that many would consider
it a symptom of mental illness.  On the flip side, some ideas I'll
reject no matter how good the implementation is.  "Send a patch" is an
edge case answer in my book.

Self-Promotion
--------------

Like fugitive.vim? Follow the repository on
[GitHub](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive) and vote for it on
[vim.org](http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=2975).  And if
you're feeling especially charitable, follow [tpope](http://tpo.pe/) on
[Twitter](http://twitter.com/tpope) and
[GitHub](https://github.com/tpope).

License
-------

Distributable under the same terms as Vim itself.  See `:help license`.