Git Sidebar

When working in a project with a Git repository, the Git Sidebar is your main way of interacting with the repository. From here, you can create, checkout, and manage branches in your repository, commit changes, pull and push from remotes, and view the repository’s commit history. Select the icon in your Sidebar Dock to open the Git Sidebar. It can also be found in the View menu > Sidebars > Show Git Sidebar.

NOTE: The Git Sidebar is not available in Remote Projects.

Overview

When opening the Git Sidebar, you will be prompted to initialize a Git repository in your project’s root folder if one does not already exist. If a repository already exists in your project root, Nova should automatically find it and display it for you.

NOTE: Repositories in directories besides the project root, such as in parent directories or subdirectories, are not currently supported.

Along the top of the Git Sidebar, you’ll find two dropdown menus.

The first menu allows you to switch between references, including the main repository and any submodules (git-scm.com) of that repository. The second allows you to switch between branches of the chosen reference. You can also choose to create a new branch forked from the current branch, or choose to checkout a particular revision of a branch.

Below these two menus are controls for switching between Repository View, Changes View, and History View, each of which are explored in more detail later in this article.

If the repository has any remotes configured, the three arrows on the right can be used to fetch, pull, and push commits from and to a remote repository. If no remotes are available, only the Push command will be enabled, and you will be prompted to configure a remote repository when selecting it.

Fetch

Retrieve a list of new changes and commits found on the remote repository, without affecting your local copy.

Pull

Download any remote changes/commits and merge them into your local repository.

Push

Upload any new local commits to the remote repository.

Repository View

The first view mode in the Git Sidebar is the Repository View. Here, you can see an overview of references in the repository, listing branches, tags, remote repositories (and any branches on those remotes), and any submodules. The branch or tag currently serving as the repository’s head will be indicated with a HEAD marker in the list. Double-click any item in the list to checkout that particular reference. If you checkout a remote branch, you will be prompted to create a corresponding local branch.

Right-click or ⌘Command+Click any item in the menu to access the context menu for additional options, including renaming or deleting references, merging branches, and creating new branches or tags from existing references.

Changes View

Changes View tracks any files that have changed in your project since the last commit, allowing you to stage those changes and commit them. Changed files will be listed at the bottom of the sidebar. Each file will also indiciate whether it was modified, deleted, or not previously tracked in the repo. Check an individual file or folder to stage it for committing, or click Stage All to check all changed files at once. Double-click a file to open it in Comparison View and see what has changed since the last commit.

To the left of the Stage All button, you’ll see a count of how many files have changes that can be staged. Clicking the icon will open a menu with some additional options:

Reload Status

Refresh the list of changed files.

View as Tree/View as List

Show changed files in a hierarchial tree with their parent folders, or as a flat list.

Expand All/Collapse All

When in Tree View, these options expand or collapse all folders in the changes list.

Show Ignored Files

Toggle whether to display ignored files that have been changed.

At the top of the Changes View is a text field for entering your commit message, which will accompany the commit. After entering a commit message, click Commit or press ⌘Enter to commit your changes.

Amend

If checked, the staged changes will be combined with the last commit to the repository as an ‘update’ to that commit, rather than as a separate commit.

Need to sign your Git commits? Nova supports commit signing, too! Just make sure commit.gpgsign is true and user.signingkey is set in your Git configuration.

History View

In History View, you can see a list of historical commits to your repository. Each listing will include the commit message, SHA hash, how long ago the commit was made, and the avatar of the commit’s author. Double-click a commit to open a popover with additional details, allowing you to see the full commit message, timestamp, and author name for the chosen commit. You can also choose to copy the commit’s SHA hash, checkout the commit, or create a new branch or tag from the commit from this popover.

NOTE: Options for copying the SHA hash, checking out a commit, and creating new branches or tags can also be found in the context menu when right-clicking a commit in the history.

On the left edge of the view, you will see a network graph illustrating when the repository was forked into separate branches, and when those branches were merged back into the current branch.