Git Mob - Co-author commits

!npm downloads 

> A command-line tool for social coding

_Add co-authors to commits_ when you collaborate on code. Use when pairing with a buddy or mobbing with your team.

✨ Git Mob VS Code extension

!gif showing example usage of git-mob

- Git Mob - Co-author commits
- Install
- Workflow / Usage
- Add co-author from GitHub
- Custom setup
- Using git commit -m setup
- Using pre-commit to install
- Revert back to default setup
- Git Mob config
- Use local commit template
- Enable GitHub author fetch
- More commands
- List all co-authors
- Overwrite the main author
- Add co-author
- Suggest co-authors
- Path to .git-coauthors
- Help
- Add initials of current mob to your prompt
- Bash
- Fish
- More info

Install

git-mob is a CLI tool, so you'll need to install the package globally.

``
npm i -g git-mob
`

MacOS use Homebrew

`
brew install git-mob
`

By default git-mob will use the global config .gitmessage template to append co-authors.

Workflow / Usage

With git-mob, the primary author will always be the primary user of the computer.
Set your author info in git if you haven't done so before.

`
$ git config --global user.name "Jane Doe"
$ git config --global user.email "jane@example.com"
`

To keep track of co-authors git-mob uses a JSON file called .git-coauthors, and will try to find it in the following directories:

1. If GITMOB_COAUTHORS_PATH environment variable is set this will override any other settings.
2. If the current Git repository has a .git-coauthors file in the root directory.
3. The default is the users home directory at ~/.git-coauthors.

Here's a template of its structure:

`json
{
"coauthors": {
"": {
"name": "",
"email": ""
}
}
}
`

Start by adding a few co-authors that you work with. Also see add co-author command.

`bash
$ cat <<-EOF > ~/.git-coauthors
{
"coauthors": {
"ad": {
"name": "Amy Doe",
"email": "amy@findmypast.com"
},
"bd": {
"name": "Bob Doe",
"email": "bob@findmypast.com"
}
}
}
EOF
`

You're ready to create your mob. Tell git-mob you're pairing with Amy by using her initials. git mob ad

`
$ git mob ad
Jane Doe
Amy Doe
`

Commit like you normally would.
You should see Co-authored-by: Amy Doe appear at the end of the commit message.

Let's add Bob to the group to create a three-person mob.

`
$ git mob ad bd
Jane Doe
Amy Doe
Bob Doe
`

Once you're done mobbing, switch back to developing solo.\*

`
$ git solo
Jane Doe
`

Selected co-authors are stored globally meaning when switching between projects your co-authors stay the same\*.

\*Note: If you've set a local commit template in your config then that template will be updated. However, not when you switch projects and you will see a warning. You can run git mob to update the commit template. Read more here

$3

Provide the GitHub username to generate their co-author details. The _anonymous_ GitHub email is used. You need to enable it see config.

`
$ git mob rkotze
Jane Doe
Richard Kotze <10422117+rkotze@users.noreply.github.com>
`

Custom setup

$3

How to append co-authors to the message when using message flag - git commit -m "commit message"?

1. Add prepare-commit-msg hook file in .git/hooks dir. See hook-examples
2. The hook will need to be executable chmod +x prepare-commit-msg

prepare-commit-msg will need a script to read the co-authors, which can be done via git mob-print. See hook-examples folder for working scripts.

The command git mob-print will output to stdout the formatted co-authors.

Note: > v1.1.0 git mob --installTemplate and git mob --uninstallTemplate has been removed.

#### Using pre-commit to install

You can install the git hook using pre-commit. Add the following to your pre-commit-config.yaml

`yaml
repos:
- repo: https://github.com/rkotze/git-mob
rev: { tag-version }
hooks:
- id: add-coauthors
stages: ['prepare-commit-msg']
`

And install with: pre-commit install --hook-type prepare-commit-msg.

Removing the above snippet and running git commit will uninstall the pre-commit hook

$3

1. Remove relevant scripts prepare-commit-msg file

Git Mob config

Git Mob config is a section in the Git config.

$3

If you are using a local commit template and want to remove the warning message then set this option to true. Only reads from the local git config.

type: Boolean, scope: local, version: 2.2.0

git config --local git-mob-config.use-local-template true

$3

To fetch authors from GitHub you need to enable it using the config.

type: Boolean, scope: global, version: 2.3.3

git config --global git-mob-config.github-fetch true

More commands

$3

Check which co-authors you have available in your .git-coauthors file.

`
$ git mob --list
jd Jane Doe jane@example.com
ad Amy Doe amy@example.com
bd Bob Doe bob@example.com
`

$3

Overwrite the current author which could be useful for pairing on different machines

If the current author is: Bob Doe

`
$ git mob -o jd ad
jd Jane Doe jane@example.com
ad Amy Doe amy@example.com
`

Now the author has changed to Jane Doe.

$3

Add a new co-author to your .git-coauthors file.

`
$ git add-coauthor bb "Barry Butterworth" barry@butterworth.org
`

$3

Suggest co-authors from contributors in local Git repository and add to .git-coauthors file.

Optional author filter by name or email.

`
$ git suggest-coauthors [author name | author email]
`

$3

Print out path to .git-coauthors file.

`
git mob -p
`

Open co-author file: git mob -p | xargs code

$3

Find out more.

`
git mob -h
`

$3

#### Bash

Add the initials to PS1, in ~/.bashrc

`bash
function git_initials {
local initials=$(git mob-print --initials)
if [[ -n "${initials}" ]]; then
echo " [${initials}]"
fi
}

export PS1="\$(pwd)\$(git_initials) -> "
`

#### Fish

Add the following functions to .config/fish/config.fish

`fish
function git_initials --description 'Print the initials for who I am currently pairing with'
set -lx initials (git mob-print --initials)
if test -n "$initials"
printf ' [%s]' $initials
end
end

function fish_prompt
printf "%s%s ->" (pwd) (git_initials)
end
``

More info

See git-mob discussions

Read our blog post to find out why git-mob exists: Co-author commits with Git Mob

^{\* If you have git-duet installed, you'll need to uninstall it since it conflicts with the git-solo command.}