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GitLensis a popular Visual Studio Code extension that helps developers to extract advanced information hidden in itGit code repository. This VS Code extension makes development easier by providing tools to quickly view, compare, and trace each line of code. It also helps eliminate the drawbacks and invasiveness of native Git functionality in large-scale projects.
This article describes some of the more difficult insights you can gain from just Git, and how GitLens magically discovers them in your IDE.
GitLens+ unlocks advanced team features, like a visual file history that shows when changes were made, by whom, and how important they were.
Sign up for GitLens+ for free!
In this article, we'll take a look at some of the features offered in GitLens and GitLens+ that help users quickly retrieve information from Git at various points in the workflow.
- An error about GitLens
- CodeLens
- Better version of navigation
- Visual history of GitLens+ files
The "dark" side of Git
While Git has many native developer-friendly features, like viewing the current changelog and going through commits, for example, it doesn't include easy change tracking. Because using Git with a tool like GitLens lacks the context needed to make informed decisions, developers are often forced to switch toGit-GUIor some other tool instead of comparing and tracking changes directly in the IDE they already work with.
While it may not be a nightmare, the lack of proper information about the project can make developers uneasy. In fact, let's look at some of the key elements that are missing when using Git and VS Code without GitLens.
Version navigation in Git
Git doesn't provide an easy way to navigate multiple versions in the IDE. Developers have to navigate their Git repository on a web browser or hosting service and manually go through various commits to keep track of changes.
This transition interrupts the development workflow as the developer has to switch applications. Also, even after reviewing the commits for a particular file, the developer must review each commit to verify the rows affected by the commit.

Line-by-line diff tracking in Git
Developers have to go a long way to track changes across multiple file versions when using Git and IDEs other than GitLens. The only way to review changes to a line of code across multiple versions is to review each commit and manually compare the differences.
This process is very time consuming without a tool like GitLens and distracts developers while they can fix critical issues.
Track recent changes to Git files
When a critical issue occurs in a production environment, it's important to get to the root of the problem quickly. If you believe a recent change is the cause, the first step is to identify the change and the author.
While Git provides a view of authors and their changes, it doesn't allow developers to see thousands of changes made by multiple developers at a glance. It's difficult and requires a lot of mental energy, especially when the changes in question come from multiple commits.
GitLens makes working with VS Code and Git faster
GitLens brings additional information from Git repositories directly tomost popular IDEs, VS Code. There are many reasons why this is extremely beneficial, including keeping your workflow smooth and intact by preventing you from having to switch between multiple apps for different tasks.
followingFeatures of GitLensIncrease developer productivity by streamlining your development workflow with Git and VS Code.
Thousands of developers use GitLens+ to streamline collaboration with Git and VS Code.
Sign up for GitLens+ for free!
An error about GitLens
GitLens Blame puts a clear annotation at the end of each line showing the last commit and its author:

You can easily see more details about the change by hovering over the annotation.

As a feature, GitLens Blame gives developers greater visibility and allows them to view information directly in their IDE. Just move the cursor to a specific line without typing a single onegit command.
Git CodeLens
Git CodeLens is useful when you want to identify the last change made to a file or block of code. This can be critical in determining what change caused the app to crash. CodeLens displays recent changes and the author at the top of the file or in specific code blocks.

On GitLens, CodeLens also allows developers to see more information about commits and trace individual lines by clicking the author's name at the top of a file or block of code.
CodeLens shows everyoneGit-Commitit is displayed next to the current version of the code so you can easily track changes.

Tracking changes for each commit couldn't be easier with CodeLens on GitLens. Hover over confirm and the changes will magically populate the code!

CodeLens goes one step further with a single click commit. Shows all changes made to a commit and colors them to make them visible.

git change gutter
The Git Grid Changes feature adds a color-coded heatmap indicating how recent changes relate to a given file. Additionally, it provides a view of the changes made to the file, allowing the developer to reduce the lines of code that were last edited.

This GitLens feature also allows the developer to customize the annotations to their liking.
Git Gutter Heatmap
The git-gutter heatmap is similar to the git-gutter-changes function, but it tracks recent changes and assigns a different color each time a line of code becomes inactive. By default, the line is considered cold after 90 days, but this can be changed in the settings.
Better version of navigation
GitLens provides a powerful ability to switch between all available versions in aGit repositoryby direct comparison of the revision and the current version of the file.
Using just your IDE would be a serious problem. However, with GitLens it only takes a few seconds.
Features of GitLens+
While GitLens provides most of its features completely free without an account, there is also an account-based free version calledGitLens+This includes additional features such as work trees and a visual file history to further increase productivity and enhance team collaboration. GitLens+ is completely free for public repositories. Users can alsoUpdate GitLens+ ProAccess features like working trees and visual file history in private repositories for a small price.
GitLens+ has powerful features, such as a visual file history that provides extremely valuable information about layout changes at a glance.
Sign up for GitLens+ for free!
visual file history
The visual file history view in GitLens+ allows developers to visualize the evolution of a single file within a project, including changes and contributions by each author.
The visual representation makes it easy for developers to quickly identify all changes with color illustrations. The magnitude of the change is represented by the size of the circle on the graph.

VS Code + Git are better with GitLens
We discussed the difference in developer experience when using Git and the IDE versus using VS Code, Git, and GitLens in the same workflow. The GitLens features discussed in this article increase developer productivity by simplifying tedious steps into a few mouse clicks, without leaving the IDE.
This blog was written by a Syncfusion author.Synchronizationhas over 1700 components and frameworks forWinFormy,WPF,WinUI,.NET MAUI (preliminary version), ASP.NET (internet formula,MVC,Kern),UWP,Xamarin,Flutter,JavaScript,Square,Blazor,vista, Ireact. Consider using it to speed up app development.
By using VS Code + Git, you can streamline your workflow and make better decisions with actionable insights, completely free with GitLens+.
Sign up for GitLens+ for free!
FAQs
Which Git visualizer is best for VS Code? ›
- GitLens. GitLens is an all-in-one extension for Git that provides comprehensive and interactive views of your code's history, allowing you to gain insights into how your code changes over time. ...
- Git History. ...
- Git Graph. ...
- Gitlens Code Lens. ...
- Git Blame.
GitLens enhances the VS Code experience by adding various sidebar views such as Commits, File History, Branches, Remotes, Stashes, Tags, Contributors, and the Search & Compare view, each of which provides rich and helpful functionality.
How do I see Git line history in VS Code? ›Open the file to view the history, and then Press F1 and select/type "Git: View History", "Git: View File History" or "Git: View Line History".
How do you see who made changes in VS Code? ›- Use Open in GitHub — Visual Studio Marketplace.
- Shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + P → Enter File History → Select Open in Github: File History.
Open Visual Studio Code. Select Extensions icon from the Activity Bar to open the Extensions view. In the Extensions view search bar, type "Azure Machine Learning" and select the first extension. Select Install.
How do you visualize in VS Code? ›Go to Run > Start Debugging and select an environment (e.g Node. js (preview) ). From the command-palette, select Debug Visualizer: New View .
How to install Git graph in VS Code? ›- Open vs code and go to the extensions tab. ...
- Once you open it, you can click on install then close vs code, and re-open it, so it can reload.
- Now when you open a project on vs code you will find Git Graph at the bottom, in the blue section.
- What Is Git.
- Git Clients for Linux. QGit. Gitg. Git Force.
- Git Clients for Windows. Sourcetree. GitHub Desktop. TortoiseGit.
- Git Clients for Mac. GitUp. Fork. GitFinder.
- Cross-Platform Git Clients. GitKraken. SmartGit. Git Cola. GitFiend. Gittyup.
Open up the Command Palette with a ctl / cmd+shift+P and type GitLens: Git and VS Code will suggest Git Commands like Git branch, reset, merge, and Git rebase, to name just a few. Selecting one of these autocomplete options will guide you through the steps needed to complete your Git action.
Who are the partners of GitLens? ›GitLens provides integrations with many Git hosting services, including GitHub, GitHub Enterprise, GitLab, GitLab self-managed, Gitea, Gerrit, GoogleSource, Bitbucket, Bitbucket Server, and Azure DevOps.
How do I disable GitLens in VS Code? ›
At the bottom right of the VSCode window, there will be a button labeled "Zen". Here's a screenshot. You can click that and easily disable Gitlens' Zen mode. When you are done using Gitlens, you can click it again to go back into Zen mode.
How do I see my entire git history? ›On GitHub.com, you can access your project history by selecting the commit button from the code tab on your project. Locally, you can use git log . The git log command enables you to display a list of all of the commits on your current branch. By default, the git log command presents a lot of information all at once.
How to track history of a line in git? ›Line Log Search
Simply run git log with the -L option, and it will show you the history of a function or line of code in your codebase.
Visual Studio Code collects telemetry data, which is used to help understand how to improve the product. For example, this usage data helps to debug issues, such as slow start-up times, and to prioritize new features.
How to check commit history in Visual Studio? ›To help you focus on your Git repository, Visual Studio has a Git Repository window, which is a consolidated view of all the details in your repository, including local and remote branches and commit history. You can access this window directly from either Git or View on the menu bar or from the status bar.
How do I track source code changes? ›GitHub. GitHub is a source code management platform that allows developers to manage, track and store their code. This platform is perfect for big teams as it has various features, such as branching and merging, to enable collaboration. Comes with collaboration tools.
How long does it take to learn how do you code machine learning? ›How long does it take to learn machine learning? A bachelor's degree in machine learning usually takes four years when attending school full time, while a master's degree can take an additional two years.
Can I use Visual Studio for machine learning? ›Custom machine learning models in Visual Studio
Model Builder supports AutoML, which automatically explores different machine learning algorithms and settings to help you find the one that best suits your scenario.
- Python Programming Language. If you work in IT or a related field, you have probably heard of Python as a programming language. ...
- R Programming Language. R programming language was written by a statistician for other statisticians. ...
- Java. ...
- JavaScript. ...
- Julia. ...
- LISP. ...
- C++
- Visualize the system based on your audience. ...
- Use multiple diagrams to model your codebase at different levels of complexity and detail.
- Avoid long names and descriptions. ...
- Avoid crossing lines whenever possible to maintain a clear, easy-to-follow diagram.
How do you visualize a dot file in VS Code? ›
- Toggle Preview - ctrl+shift+v (Mac: cmd+shift+v )
- Open Preview to the Side - ctrl+k v (Mac: cmd+k shift+v )
- In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the project that you want to add the image to, and then choose Add > New Item.
- In the Add New Item dialog box, under Installed, select Graphics, and then select an appropriate file format for the image.
To configure Git settings in Visual Studio, choose Settings from the top-level Git menu. Choose Git Global Settings or Git Repository Settings to view and configure global-level or repository-level settings. You can configure several common Git settings, as described in the following sections of this article.
How to add Git to code? ›- Open TerminalTerminalGit Bash.
- Navigate to the root directory of your project.
- Initialize the local directory as a Git repository. By default, the initial branch is called main . ...
- Add the files in your new local repository. ...
- Commit the files that you've staged in your local repository.
Git GUI is a powerful alternative to Git BASH. It offers a graphical version of the Git command line function, as well as comprehensive visual diff tools. We can access it by simply right click on a folder or location in windows explorer. Also, we can access it through the command line by typing below command.
Is there a better alternative to Git? ›Therefore, SVN, Mercurial, Perforce, Fossil, and Bazaar are all excellent Git alternatives that developers can consider.
Which editor is better for Git? ›Make Notepad Git's editor
Notepad++ is often preferred over Vim as the default Git editor for commit text.
In Visual Studio Code, open the Command Palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS). Enter sfdx to filter for commands provided by the Salesforce Extensions. As you use more SFDX commands, those commands will show up in the recently used panel.
Does Vscode have copilot? ›In the Visual Studio Code Marketplace, go to the GitHub Copilot extension page and click Install. A popup will appear, asking to open Visual Studio Code. Click Open Visual Studio Code. In the "Extension: GitHub Copilot" tab in Visual Studio Code, click Install.
Who owns GitLens? ›GitKraken, creator of the world's leading Git GUI and CLI, recently acquired GitLens, the most popular Git extension for Visual Studio Code.
How to disable Git integration Visual Studio? ›
Tools->Options->SourceControl. Set the Current source control plug-in to (Git, TFS, or None).
How do I disable workspace plugins in VS Code? ›If you don't want to permanently remove an extension, you can instead temporarily disable the extension by clicking the gear button at the right of an extension entry. You can disable an extension globally or just for your current Workspace. You will be prompted to reload VS Code after you disable an extension.
How do I disable GPU in VS Code? ›- Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette.
- Type Preferences: Configure Runtime Arguments in the dropdown box and press enter.
- In the argv. json file that opened, add this line. ...
- Ctrl+S to save the file, then close and re-open VS Code.
If you want to see what's happened recently in your project, you can use git log . This command will output a list of the latest commits in chronological order, with the latest commit first.
How to track all changes in git? ›- To see what you've changed but not yet staged, type git diff with no other arguments: ...
- If you want to see what you've staged that will go into your next commit, you can use git diff --staged .
gitk and git-gui
gitk is a graphical history viewer. Think of it like a powerful GUI shell over git log and git grep . This is the tool to use when you're trying to find something that happened in the past, or visualize your project's history.
If you want to see what tracking branches you have set up, you can use the -vv option to git branch . This will list out your local branches with more information including what each branch is tracking and if your local branch is ahead, behind or both.
Which command is used to see the history of a git repository? ›The git log command is Git's basic tool for exploring a repository's history. It's what you use when you need to find a specific version of a project or figure out what changes will be introduced by merging in a feature branch.
What is the git history log? ›Git stores history as a graph of snapshots of the entire repository. These snapshots, called commits in Git, can have multiple parents, creating a history that looks like a graph instead of a straight line.
How do I use Visual Studio Code plugins? ›You can browse and install extensions from within VS Code. Bring up the Extensions view by clicking on the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar on the side of VS Code or the View: Extensions command (Ctrl+Shift+X). This will show you a list of the most popular VS Code extensions on the VS Code Marketplace.
How to use GitLab in Visual Studio Code? ›
Open Visual Studio Code, then open the command palette by pressing Command + Shift + P . In the command palette, search for GitLab: Add Account and press Enter . In the URL to GitLab instance, paste the full URL to your GitLab instance, including the http:// or https:// . Press Enter to confirm.
How to commit code from Visual Studio Code to GitLab? ›- Open the gitlab folder from your Visual Studio Code. ...
- Open your Terminal. ...
- Navigate to your gitlab folder in the Terminal. ...
- If everything is working well you should be able to see a login page for a GitLab instance in your browser. ...
- Prepare your Git so you can start pushing changes once you're ready.
- Go to File > Preferences.
- Go to Settings.
- Type Git: Enabled in the search bar.
- Make sure that the box is ticked.
- From Extensions > Manage Extensions, find the extension you want to install. (If you know the name or part of the name of the extension, you can search in the Search window.)
- Select Download. The extension is scheduled for install.
You can trigger IntelliSense in any editor window by typing Ctrl+Space or by typing a trigger character (such as the dot character (.) in JavaScript).
How to connect Git with Visual Studio? ›In the Visual Studio IDE, select the Git menu, and then select Clone Repository. Follow the prompts to connect to the Git repository that includes the files you're looking for.
How do I use Git in Visual Studio? ›- Create a new Git repository. If you already have code that's not associated with Git, you can start by creating a new Git repository.
- Clone an existing Git repository. ...
- Open an existing Git repository.
- Open the command palette with the key combination of Ctrl + Shift + P .
- At the command palette prompt, enter gitcl , select the Git: Clone command, then select Clone from GitHub and press Enter.
- When prompted for the Repository URL, select clone from GitHub, then press Enter.
- Upload. Type upload in VSCode Command Palette . Enter your GitHub Personal Access Token . Select or enter your Gist ID . ...
- Download. Type download in VSCode Command Palette . Enter your GitHub Personal Access Token .
- In VS Code, in the Activity Bar, click the Remote Explorer icon. ...
- Select "GitHub Codespaces" from the dropdown at the top of the "Remote Explorer" side bar, if it is not already selected.
- Click Sign in to GitHub.
- If you are not currently signed in to GitHub you'll be prompted to do so.