Git Flashback

A VSCode extension for browsing git file history.

Installation

VS Code Marketplace

Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace

Manual Installation

1. Download the VSIX file from GitHub Releases
2. In VS Code: Extensions → ... (View and More Actions) → Install from VSIX...
3. Select the downloaded file

Requirements

• Git installed and available in PATH
• File must be in a git repository

Features

• View commit history for the current file
• Quickly switch between different versions of a file
• Preview file content from different commits
• Customizable commit format display
• Settings GUI for easy configuration

Usage

1. Open a file in the editor
2. Run the command "Flashback: Show File History" from the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Browse through commits to see how the file looked at different points in time
4. Press Enter to select a commit and keep the file in that state
5. Press Escape if nothing suits you to return to the current state

Git Flashback acts as a time machine for your files, allowing you to instantly see how your file looked at any point in history and restore it to that state with a single keystroke.

Comparison Mode

Standard Mode Shows the file content at the selected commit	Diff Mode Shows differences between commits when navigating

Configuration

You can customize how commits are displayed in the list:

• git-flashback.useCustomFormat: Whether to use custom format string or individual display options
• git-flashback.commitFormat: Custom git log format string (see git log --pretty=format documentation)
• git-flashback.showSubject: Show commit subject in the list
• git-flashback.showHash: Show commit hash in the list
• git-flashback.showAuthor: Show commit author in the list
• git-flashback.showEmail: Show author email in the list
• git-flashback.showDate: Show commit date in the list
• git-flashback.showRelativeDate: Show relative date (e.g., 2 days ago) in the list

You can use either the text field for complete customization or toggle individual elements using checkboxes.

For a more user-friendly configuration experience, run the command "Flashback: Open Settings GUI" from the command palette.

Standard Mode Settings	Advanced Mode Settings