To show files changed between two revisions in Git, you can use the git diff command with specific commit references. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Using Git Diff

The git diff command is the primary tool for comparing differences between revisions.

1. List Files Changed Between Two Commits:

git diff --name-only commit1 commit2

• This command will list the files that have changed between commit1 and commit2.

• Show Detailed Differences for Files Changed:

git diff commit1 commit2

• This will display the actual differences (diffs) for each file that changed.

Using Git Log

The git log command can also be used to list files changed in commits between two revisions.

• List Files Changed Between Two Commits:

git log --name-only --oneline commit1..commit2

• This will list the commit messages along with the names of the files changed in each commit between commit1 and commit2.

• Show Detailed Commit History with Changes:

git log -p commit1..commit2

• This command will show the full commit history and the detailed differences for each file change between the two revisions.

Using Git Difftool

If you prefer using a graphical tool to see the differences, you can use git difftool.

• Configure a Diff Tool: Set up your preferred diff tool (e.g., meld):

git config --global diff.tool meld
git config --global difftool.prompt false

• Use Git Difftool to Compare Revisions:

git difftool commit1 commit2

• This command will open the differences between commit1 and commit2 in the configured diff tool.

Using Git Show

To see the files changed in a specific commit, you can use git show.

1. Show Files Changed in a Single Commit:

git show --name-only commit

• This will display the commit details along with the names of the files that were changed in that specific commit.

• Show Detailed Differences in a Single Commit:

git show commit

• This will display the detailed changes made in that specific commit.

Identify the Revisions

Determine the commit references (hashes or branch names) representing the two revisions you want to compare. You can use git log to view the commit history and find the appropriate references.

git log --oneline

Run the Diff Command

Once you have identified the commit references, use the git diff command to compare the files changed between the two revisions.

git diff <old_revision> <new_revision>

Replace <old_revision> and <new_revision> with the commit references representing the older and newer revisions, respectively.

View the Differences

After running the git diff command, Git will display the differences between the files changed in the two revisions. The output will show the changes made to each file, including additions, deletions, and modifications.

Optional: View Unified Diff

You can use the -u or –unified option to display the differences in a unified diff format, which provides more context around the changes.

git diff -u <old_revision> <new_revision>

This command will show the differences in a format that includes additional context lines.

Review and Analyze Changes

Analyze the differences shown in the output to understand the changes made between the two revisions. You can review the added, deleted, and modified lines to gain insight into the differences.

By following these steps, you can easily show files changed between two revisions in Git using the git diff command. This allows you to identify and understand the changes made within a specific range of commits, aiding in code review, debugging, and version comparison.