Vim: embedded git diff

Sometimes, all you want is a simple and rapid method to review all the changes made across different branches, in a format you can easily edit. This is particularly useful for quickly assessing which tests need to be added when working on a new branch.

My initial thoughts led me to consider various plugins, like fugitive or lazygit, as well as manual approaches such as copying git diff output into the buffer. But I had a hunch that there had to be a quicker way, and I was right:

:r!git diff master..my-branch --no-color
:set syntax=git

The solution lies in vim’s powerful :r command. This feature allows you to import the output of an external command directly into your vim buffer. Breaking it down, git diff generates a comparison between the master and my-branch with the --no-color flag to remove any color formatting. Then vim imports this output into the buffer.

To enhance the readability, we apply git syntax highlighting to the inserted text using :set syntax=git. This combination of vim commands offers a fast and efficient solution for evaluating changes, navigating code, and identifying the tests that need to be incorporated.

I love vim.