## vim-gitgutter

A Vim plugin which shows a git diff in the 'gutter' (sign column).  It shows whether each line has been added, modified, and where lines have been removed.  You can also stage and revert individual hunks.

Features:

* Shows signs for added, modified, and removed lines.
* Ensures signs are always as up to date as possible (but without running more than necessary).
* Quick jumping between blocks of changed lines ("hunks").
* Stage/revert/preview individual hunks.
* Optional line highlighting.
* Fully customisable (signs, sign column, line highlights, mappings, extra git-diff arguments, etc).
* Can be toggled on/off.
* Preserves signs from other plugins.
* Easy to integrate diff stats into status line; built-in integration with [vim-airline](https://github.com/bling/vim-airline/).

Constraints:

* Supports git only.


### Screenshot

![screenshot](https://raw.github.com/airblade/vim-gitgutter/master/screenshot.png)

In the screenshot above you can see:

* Line 15 has been modified.
* Lines 21-24 are new.
* A line or lines were removed between lines 25 and 26.


### Installation

Before installation, please check your Vim supports signs by running `:echo has('signs')`.  `1` means you're all set; `0` means you need to install a Vim with signs support.  If you're compiling Vim yourself you need the 'big' or 'huge' feature set.  [MacVim][] supports signs.

Your vim `shell` option needs to point to a POSIX-compatible shell.  For example if you use Fish, add `set shell=/bin/bash` to your vimrc.

If you don't have a preferred installation method, I recommend installing [pathogen.vim][pathogen], and then simply copy and paste:

```
cd ~/.vim/bundle
git clone git://github.com/airblade/vim-gitgutter.git
```

Or for [Vundle](https://github.com/gmarik/vundle) users:

Add `Plugin 'airblade/vim-gitgutter'` to your `~/.vimrc` and then:

* either within Vim: `:PluginInstall`
* or in your shell: `vim +PluginInstall +qall`

If you are on Windows you may find the command prompt pops up briefly every time vim-gitgutter runs.  You can avoid this by installing both [vim-misc](https://github.com/xolox/vim-misc) and [vim-shell](https://github.com/xolox/vim-shell).  If you have those two plugins but don't want vim-gitgutter to use them, you can opt out with `let g:gitgutter_avoid_cmd_prompt_on_windows = 0` in your `~/.vimrc`.


### Usage

You don't have to do anything: it just works.


#### Activation

You can explicitly turn vim-gitgutter off and on (defaults to on):

* turn off with `:GitGutterDisable`
* turn on with `:GitGutterEnable`
* toggle with `:GitGutterToggle`.

You can turn the signs on and off (defaults to on):

* turn on with `:GitGutterSignsEnable`
* turn off with `:GitGutterSignsDisable`
* toggle with `:GitGutterSignsToggle`.

And you can turn line highlighting on and off (defaults to off):

* turn on with `:GitGutterLineHighlightsEnable`
* turn off with `:GitGutterLineHighlightsDisable`
* toggle with `:GitGutterLineHighlightsToggle`.

Note that if you have line highlighting on and signs off, you will have an empty sign column – more accurately, a sign column with invisible signs.  This is because line highlighting requires signs and Vim always shows the sign column even if the signs are invisible.

If you switch off both line highlighting and signs, you won't see the sign column.  That is unless you have set `let g:gitgutter_sign_column_always = 1` so it's always there.

To keep your Vim snappy, vim-gitgutter will suppress itself when a file has more than 500 changes.  As soon as the number of changes falls below the limit vim-gitgutter will show the signs again.  You can configure the threshold with:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_max_signs = 500  " default value
```

#### Hunks

You can jump between hunks:

* jump to next hunk (change): `]c`
* jump to previous hunk (change): `[c`.

Both of those take a preceding count.

To set your own mappings for these, for example `]h` and `[h`:

```viml
nmap ]h <Plug>GitGutterNextHunk
nmap [h <Plug>GitGutterPrevHunk
```

You can stage or revert an individual hunk when your cursor is in it:

* stage the hunk with `<Leader>hs` or
* revert it with `<Leader>hr`.

The `.` command will work with both these if you install [repeat.vim](https://github.com/tpope/vim-repeat).

To set your own mappings for these, for example if you prefer the mnemonics hunk-add and hunk-undo:

```viml
nmap <Leader>ha <Plug>GitGutterStageHunk
nmap <Leader>hu <Plug>GitGutterRevertHunk
```

And you can preview a hunk's changes with `<Leader>hp`.  You can of course change this mapping, e.g:

```viml
nmap <Leader>hv <Plug>GitGutterPreviewHunk
```

If you don't want vim-gitgutter to set up any mappings at all, use this:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_map_keys = 0
```

Finally, you can force vim-gitgutter to update its signs across all visible buffers with `:GitGutterAll`.

See the customisation section below for how to change the defaults.


### When are the signs updated?

By default the signs are updated as follows:

| Event                     | Reason for update                    | Configuration          |
|---------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------|
| Stop typing               | So the signs are real time           | `g:gitgutter_realtime` |
| Switch buffer             | To notice change to git index        | `g:gitgutter_eager`    |
| Switch tab                | To notice change to git index        | `g:gitgutter_eager`    |
| Focus the GUI             | To notice change to git index        | `g:gitgutter_eager` (not gVim on Windows) |
| Read a file into a buffer | To display initial signs             | [always]               |
| Save a buffer             | So non-realtime signs are up to date | [always]               |
| Change a file outside Vim | To notice `git stash`                | [always]               |

The length of time Vim waits after you stop typing before it triggers the plugin is governed by the setting `updatetime`.  This defaults to `4000` milliseconds which is rather too long.  I recommend around `750` milliseconds but it depends on your system and your preferences.  Note that in terminal Vim pre-7.4.427 an `updatetime` of less than approximately `1000` milliseconds can lead to random highlighting glitches; the lower the `updatetime`, the more glitches.

If you experience a lag, you can trade speed for accuracy:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_realtime = 0
let g:gitgutter_eager = 0
```

Note the realtime updating requires Vim 7.3.105 or higher.


### Customisation

You can customise:

* The sign column's colours
* Whether or not the sign column is shown when there aren't any signs (defaults to no)
* The signs' colours and symbols
* Line highlights
* Extra arguments for `git diff`
* Key mappings
* Whether or not to escape `grep` (default to no)
* Whether or not vim-gitgutter is on initially (defaults to on)
* Whether or not signs are shown (defaults to yes)
* Whether or not line highlighting is on initially (defaults to off)
* Whether or not vim-gitgutter runs in "realtime" (defaults to yes)
* Whether or not vim-gitgutter runs eagerly (defaults to yes)

Please note that vim-gitgutter won't override any colours or highlights you've set in your colorscheme.


#### Sign column

By default vim-gitgutter will make the sign column look like the line number column.

To customise your sign column's background color, first tell vim-gitgutter to leave it alone:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_override_sign_column_highlight = 0
```

And then either update your colorscheme's `SignColumn` highlight group or set it in your vimrc:

```viml
highlight SignColumn ctermbg=whatever    " terminal Vim
highlight SignColumn guibg=whatever      " gVim/MacVim
```

By default the sign column will appear when there are signs to show and disappear when there aren't.  If you would always like the sign column to be there, add `let g:gitgutter_sign_column_always = 1` to your `~/.vimrc`.


#### Signs' colours and symbols

To customise the colours, set up the following highlight groups in your colorscheme or `~/.vimrc`:

```viml
GitGutterAdd          " an added line
GitGutterChange       " a changed line
GitGutterDelete       " at least one removed line
GitGutterChangeDelete " a changed line followed by at least one removed line
```

You can either set these with `highlight GitGutterAdd {key}={arg}...` or link them to existing highlight groups with, say, `highlight link GitGutterAdd DiffAdd`.

To customise the symbols, add the following to your `~/.vimrc`:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_sign_added = 'xx'
let g:gitgutter_sign_modified = 'yy'
let g:gitgutter_sign_removed = 'zz'
let g:gitgutter_sign_removed_first_line = '^^'
let g:gitgutter_sign_modified_removed = 'ww'
```


#### Line highlights

Similarly to the signs' colours, set up the following highlight groups in your colorscheme or `~/.vimrc`:

```viml
GitGutterAddLine          " default: links to DiffAdd
GitGutterChangeLine       " default: links to DiffChange
GitGutterDeleteLine       " default: links to DiffDelete
GitGutterChangeDeleteLine " default: links to GitGutterChangeLineDefault, i.e. DiffChange
```

#### Extra arguments for `git diff`

If you want to pass extra arguments to `git diff`, for example to ignore whitespace, do so like this:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_diff_args = '-w'
```

#### Key mappings

To disable all key mappings:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_map_keys = 0
```

See above for configuring maps for hunk-jumping and staging/reverting.


#### Whether or not to escape `grep`

If you have `grep` aliased to something which changes its output, for example `grep --color=auto -H`, you will need to tell vim-gitgutter to use raw grep:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_escape_grep = 1
```

#### To turn off vim-gitgutter by default

Add `let g:gitgutter_enabled = 0` to your `~/.vimrc`.


#### To turn off signs by default

Add `let g:gitgutter_signs = 0` to your `~/.vimrc`.


#### To turn on line highlighting by default

Add `let g:gitgutter_highlight_lines = 1` to your `~/.vimrc`.


### FAQ

> Why are the colours in the sign column weird?

Your colorscheme is configuring the `SignColumn` highlight group weirdly.  Please see the section above on customising the sign column.

> There's a noticeable lag when vim-gitter runs; how can I avoid it?

By default vim-gitgutter runs often so the signs are as accurate as possible.  However on some systems this causes a noticeable lag.  If you would like to trade a little accuracy for speed, add this to your `~/.vimrc`:

```viml
let g:gitgutter_realtime = 0
let g:gitgutter_eager = 0
```

> What happens if I also use another plugin which uses signs (e.g. Syntastic)?

Vim only allows one sign per line.  Before adding a sign to a line, vim-gitgutter checks whether a sign has already been added by somebody else.  If so it doesn't do anything.  In other words vim-gitgutter won't overwrite another plugin's signs.  It also won't remove another plugin's signs.

> Why aren't any signs showing at all?

Here are some things you can check:

* Your git config is compatible with the version of git which your Vim is calling (`:echo system('git --version')`).
* Your Vim supports signs (`:echo has('signs')` should give `1`).
* Your file is being tracked by git and has unstaged, saved changes.
* If you use the Fish shell, or another non-POSIX shell, add `set shell=/bin/bash` to your `~/.vimrc`.


### Shameless Plug

If this plugin has helped you, or you'd like to learn more about Vim, why not check out this screencast I wrote for PeepCode:

* [Smash Into Vim][siv]

This was one of PeepCode's all-time top three bestsellers and is now available at Pluralsight.

You can read reviews on my [website][airblade].


### Intellectual Property

Copyright Andrew Stewart, AirBlade Software Ltd.  Released under the MIT licence.


  [pathogen]: https://github.com/tpope/vim-pathogen
  [siv]: http://pluralsight.com/training/Courses/TableOfContents/smash-into-vim
  [airblade]: http://airbladesoftware.com/peepcode-vim
  [macvim]: http://code.google.com/p/macvim/