Ubuntu – script to show git branch in bash no longer works on ubuntu 18.04

bashbashrcgitprompt

In my 16.04 installation I put this in my ~/.bashrc file:

#Show git branch in commandline
parse_git_branch() {
     git branch 2> /dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/ (\1)/'
}
export PS1="${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$(parse_git_branch)\[\033[00m\] $ "

It showed a prompt like this:

user:~/myrepo (master) $

But when I do the same on 18.04 the prompt looks like this instead:

user:~/myrepo $

How do I get it to work in 18.04?

$ printf "%q\n" "$PS1" "$PROMPT_COMMAND" "$0" "$SHELL"
\\\[\\033\[01\;32m\\\]\\u:\\\[\\033\[01\;34m\\\]\\w\\\[\\033\[00m\\\]\$\(parse_git_branch\)\\\[\\033\[00m\\\]\ \$\ 
''
bash
/bin/bash

I’m using sed (GNU sed) 4.4 and GNU bash, version 4.4.19(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu). This is a "fresh" installation, so there is nothing additional in .bashrc.

Best Answer

Although you already solved the problem, I'd like to introduce the solution already shipped with git:

Together with git the file /usr/lib/git-core/git-sh-prompt gets installed. Years ago it was in the contrib directory but meanwhile it made it into the official paths. The file isn't meant to be executed (in fact, it doesn't have x flags) but rather to be sourced from the .bashrc. It defines some functions to handle a pretty prompt, the most prominent being __git_ps1.

You can add the following lines to your .bashrc:

source /usr/lib/git-core/git-sh-prompt
export PS1="${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$(__git_ps1)\[\033[00m\] $ "

The top of the file /usr/lib/git-core/git-sh-prompt gives some description of what else can be done. My version says 1) Copy this file to somewhere (e.g. ~/.git-prompt.sh). but this is not necessary (the instruction is obsolete).

You may also set some environment variables to alter the function's behaviour. I, for instance, use

export GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE=yes

The result then looks like:

# clean
pduck:~/oss/rsyslog (master) $

# dirty
pduck:~/oss/rsyslog (master *) $

# something added to index
pduck:~/oss/rsyslog (master +) $

# in a completely fresh repo
pduck:~/oss/xxx (master #) $

Btw: The "proper" way to get the current branch is not to parse git branch's output as that may change with new git versions. git branch is a so-called porcelain command which means its output is nice and pretty but not guaranteed to stay the same with different versions. The git guys thus recommend plumbing tools for scripting. With plumbing the current branch can be determined with

if [ "$(git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2>/dev/null)" = "true" ]; then
    current_branch=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD || git rev-parse --short HEAD)
else
    current_branch=""
fi

The first assignment works if HEAD is a symbolic reference (that is: a branch or tag is checked out). If you checked out something that has no label (e.g. git checkout HEAD^^), then it fails and we use git rev-parse --short HEAD instead to show the SHA1. The if checks whether we are in a git working directory at all (because else the commands don't make any sense).

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – How to show the git branch with colours in Bash prompt

This snippet:

# Add git branch if its present to PS1

parse_git_branch() {
 git branch 2> /dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/(\1)/'
}
if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then
 PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[01;31m\]$(parse_git_branch)\[\033[00m\]\$ '
else
 PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w$(parse_git_branch)\$ '
fi

Is meant to replace the default prompt definition:

if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$ '
else
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w\$ '
fi

Which ends with:

unset color_prompt force_color_prompt

The .bashrc you posted shows you're adding it after the default prompt definition and unset color_prompt force_color_prompt (line #64).

Either replace the default prompt definition with the snippet or leave your ~/.bashrc as it is and comment the default prompt definition along with unset color_prompt force_color_prompt on line #64:

So part of your .bashrc could look like

parse_git_branch() {
 git branch 2> /dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/(\1)/'
}
if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then
 PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[01;31m\] $(parse_git_branch)\[\033[00m\]\$ '
else
 PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w$(parse_git_branch)\$ '
fi
# THE SIX LINES BELOW are the default prompt and the unset (which were in the original .bashrc)
#if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then
#    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$ '
#else
#    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w\$ '
#fi
#unset color_prompt force_color_prompt

Ubuntu – How to add colored git branch to the bash prompt

This Github Gist by srguiwiz shows a prompt with colours based on branch status:

# http://henrik.nyh.se/2008/12/git-dirty-prompt
# http://www.simplisticcomplexity.com/2008/03/13/show-your-git-branch-name-in-your-prompt/
#   username@Machine ~/dev/dir [master]$   # clean working directory green
#   username@Machine ~/dev/dir [master*]$  # dirty working directory red*
#
function git_branch {
  git branch --no-color 2> /dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/\1/'
}
# http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/88307/escape-sequences-with-echo-e-in-different-shells
function markup_git_branch {
  if [[ "x$1" = "x" ]]; then
    echo -e "[$1]"
  else
    if [[ $(git status 2> /dev/null | tail -n1) = "nothing to commit, working directory clean" ]]; then
      echo -e '\033[1;32m['"$1"']\033[0;0m'
    else
      echo -e '\033[1;31m['"$1"'*]\033[0;0m'
    fi
  fi
}
export PS1='\u@\h \[\033[0;34m\]\w\[\033[0m\] $(markup_git_branch $(git_branch))$ '

You only need to use $(markup_git_branch $(git_branch)) in your prompt, wherever you want show the commit status and branch.

There's a slight change to original code here: the \033[0;30m at the end should be \033[0;0m to reset the prompt colour. The former sets it black, the latter resets formatting on the text.

srguiwiz's code seems to have some problems, jcgoble3 made a better version:

# Adds the current branch to the bash prompt when the working directory is
# part of a Git repository. Includes color-coding and indicators to quickly
# indicate the status of working directory.
#
# To use: Copy into ~/.bashrc and tweak if desired.
#
# Based upon the following gists:
# <https://gist.github.com/henrik/31631>
# <https://gist.github.com/srguiwiz/de87bf6355717f0eede5>
# Modified by me, using ideas from comments on those gists.
#
# License: MIT, unless the authors of those two gists object :)

git_branch() {
    # -- Finds and outputs the current branch name by parsing the list of
    #    all branches
    # -- Current branch is identified by an asterisk at the beginning
    # -- If not in a Git repository, error message goes to /dev/null and
    #    no output is produced
    git branch --no-color 2>/dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/\1/'
}

git_status() {
    # Outputs a series of indicators based on the status of the
    # working directory:
    # + changes are staged and ready to commit
    # ! unstaged changes are present
    # ? untracked files are present
    # S changes have been stashed
    # P local commits need to be pushed to the remote
    local status="$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null)"
    local output=''
    [[ -n $(egrep '^[MADRC]' <<<"$status") ]] && output="$output+"
    [[ -n $(egrep '^.[MD]' <<<"$status") ]] && output="$output!"
    [[ -n $(egrep '^\?\?' <<<"$status") ]] && output="$output?"
    [[ -n $(git stash list) ]] && output="${output}S"
    [[ -n $(git log --branches --not --remotes) ]] && output="${output}P"
    [[ -n $output ]] && output="|$output"  # separate from branch name
    echo $output
}

git_color() {
    # Receives output of git_status as argument; produces appropriate color
    # code based on status of working directory:
    # - White if everything is clean
    # - Green if all changes are staged
    # - Red if there are uncommitted changes with nothing staged
    # - Yellow if there are both staged and unstaged changes
    local staged=$([[ $1 =~ \+ ]] && echo yes)
    local dirty=$([[ $1 =~ [!\?] ]] && echo yes)
    if [[ -n $staged ]] && [[ -n $dirty ]]; then
        echo -e '\033[1;33m'  # bold yellow
    elif [[ -n $staged ]]; then
        echo -e '\033[1;32m'  # bold green
    elif [[ -n $dirty ]]; then
        echo -e '\033[1;31m'  # bold red
    else
        echo -e '\033[1;37m'  # bold white
    fi
}

git_prompt() {
    # First, get the branch name...
    local branch=$(git_branch)
    # Empty output? Then we're not in a Git repository, so bypass the rest
    # of the function, producing no output
    if [[ -n $branch ]]; then
        local state=$(git_status)
        local color=$(git_color $state)
        # Now output the actual code to insert the branch and status
        echo -e "\x01$color\x02[$branch$state]\x01\033[00m\x02"  # last bit resets color
    fi
}

# Sample prompt declaration based off of the default Ubuntu 14.04.1 color
# prompt. Tweak as you see fit, or just stick "$(git_prompt)" into your
# favorite prompt.
PS1='$debian_chroot\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w$(git_prompt)\[\033[00m\]\$ '

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – How to show the git branch with colours in Bash prompt

Ubuntu – How to add colored git branch to the bash prompt

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