git: inspect the contents of files in other branches without modifying any repositories

Question

I need to work on another branch, and don't know which branch. Several are listed and I can determine which branch I need based on the contents of certain key files. Is there a way to just take a peek at some of the files in the branches? Also, is this where I use stash?

Thank you. Just a matter of searching for the right words. – Yimin Rong Dec 10 '13 at 15:19 — Yimin Rong, Dec 10 '13 at 15:19

Marco · Accepted Answer · 2013-12-10T15:40:00.117

5

git show branch:file

Will work :)

You can also run

git grep pattern branch

So you can grep files from other branches

You can use git checkout to bring the file from the other branch.

edited Dec 10 '13 at 15:40

answered Dec 10 '13 at 15:33

Marco

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git: inspect the contents of files in other branches without modifying any repositories

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