Git thinks I am rewriting one of my files everytime I make a small change

Question

I have a medium size Java file. Everytime I make a change to one of my files, BuildTable.java, Git reports it as a massive change, even if is only a line or two. BuildTable.java is about 200 lines and the change in this commit only changed a single line.

git-diff ouputs this:

--- a/src/BuildTable.java
+++ b/src/BuildTable.java
@@ -1 +1 @@
-import java.io.FileNotFoundException;^Mimport java.io.FileReader;^Mimport java.io.InputStreamReader;^Mimport java.io.PushbackReader;^Mimport java.util.ArrayList;^Mimport
\ No newline at end of file
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;^Mimport java.io.FileReader;^Mimport java.io.InputStreamReader;^Mimport java.io.PushbackReader;^Mimport java.util.ArrayList;^Mimport
\ No newline at end of file

After doing a git-commit -a

Created commit fe43985: better error notifications
 3 files changed, 54 insertions(+), 50 deletions(-)
 rewrite src/BuildTable.java (78%)

Is Git seeing this file as binary or something? Is this a problem? If it is, how do I fix this?

ddaa · Answer 1 · 2008-10-28T20:32:26.687

27

Clearly, git does not like your mac-style line endings (CR only). Its diff algorithm uses LF as the line separator.

Fix your files to have windows-style (CR LF) or unix (LF only) line endings.

edited Oct 28 '08 at 20:32

answered Oct 28 '08 at 20:24

ddaa

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OS X uses LF endings just like every other style of Unix out there. – Paul Wicks Oct 30 '08 at 19:13
8

So called "mac-style" line endings were standard on Macs up to MacOS 9. And only on MacOS. – ddaa Oct 30 '08 at 23:59
7

It's pretty sad this answer was downmodded four times, while the diagnostic was correct, as the question author noted in his answer. – ddaa Oct 31 '08 at 00:14

Paul Wicks · Accepted Answer · 2013-04-09T23:21:02.447

20

To fix this, I didn't need to change any of the core git settings, as the default line endings being generated were fine, it was just that this particular file was mangled. To fix it I opened vim and executed the following command

:%s/^M/\r/g

Note that to type the "^M" you have to type ctrl-V and then ctrl-M.

edited Apr 09 '13 at 23:21

answered Oct 30 '08 at 19:17

Paul Wicks

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I've been searching for days, and you just solved my problem. Thanks. – Jared Feb 14 '13 at 00:49

score 4 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:30

4

Set core.autocrlf and core.safecrlf with git-config. This will cause git to automatically convert line endings when transferring from/to the object store. You might need to make a commit to store the "new" endings.

Judging from your pasted example, you might be also suffering from "old-style Mac line endings" (thanks to ddaa and Charles Bailey for the hint), which are only bare CRs without any LF, a case not handled by git. If this is true (check with a hex editor), use a tool like recode to translate this garbage into some 21st century format, like proper LF-only Unix line endings.

edited May 23 '17 at 10:30

Community

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answered Oct 28 '08 at 20:40

David Schmitt

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core.autocrlf is not going to help in this case (old-style Mac line endings). To quote the current git source: "We're currently not going to even try to convert stuff that has bare CR characters. Does anybody do that crazy stuff?" – CB Bailey Oct 29 '08 at 09:13

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 29 '09 at 07:28

0

git diff -b

Ignores end of line changes when showing you the differences.

answered Nov 29 '09 at 07:28

Andrew Grimm

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Git thinks I am rewriting one of my files everytime I make a small change

4 Answers4

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