Git Spotlight

A VS Code extension that visualizes Git blame information with intelligent line highlighting. Compare branches, spot changes by age, author, commit, or heatmap with ease.

Features

🔀 Highlight Branch Differences

Compare your current branch with another branch and highlight all lines that differ.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Highlight Branch Differences
• Shows lines changed since branches diverged
• Great for code reviews and understanding PR changes

🔥 Heatmap Mode

Visualize code age with a gradient heatmap - newer code appears in warmer colors, older code in cooler colors.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Heatmap Mode
• 20-level color gradient from blue (oldest) to teal (newest)
• Great for identifying recently modified vs. stable code

🕐 Highlight by Age

Highlight lines modified within a specified time duration.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Highlight by Age
• Enter duration: 7d, 30d, 3m, 1y, or ISO date

🔍 Highlight Specific Commit

Select and highlight only a specific commit's changes.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Highlight Specific Commit

🎯 Highlight Specific Author

Select and highlight only a specific author's changes.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Highlight Specific Author

📝 Highlight by Commit

Color-code lines by commit - each commit gets a unique color.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Highlight All Commits

👤 Highlight by Author

Color-code lines by author - each author gets a unique, consistent color.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Highlight All Authors

📊 File Statistics

View detailed statistics about file contributors, commits, and activity.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Show File Statistics
• Author contribution breakdown with percentages
• Recent commits list
• Activity timeline for the last 30 days

🔤 Gutter Annotations

Show author initials or indicators in the editor gutter alongside highlighting.

• Command: Git Spotlight: Toggle Gutter Annotations
• Modes: Author initials, colored dots, or age indicators
• Works alongside any highlight mode

🧭 Navigation

Navigate between highlighted lines with keyboard shortcuts.

• Alt+] - Go to next highlight
• Alt+[ - Go to previous highlight
• Status bar buttons available when highlights are active

✨ Additional Features

• Uncommitted Changes: Optionally highlight uncommitted lines with a red underline
• Hover Information: View author, date, and commit message on hover
• Status Bar: Shows current mode, click to clear
• Auto Refresh: Updates on file save and branch switch
• Overview Ruler: See highlights in the scrollbar/minimap area
• Performance Optimized: Debounced execution, caching, file size limits

Installation

From VSIX

code --install-extension git-spotlight-3.0.0.vsix

From Source

cd GitAgeHighlighter
npm install
npm run compile
# Press F5 in VS Code to debug

Usage

1. Open a file that's tracked by Git
2. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Type "Git Spotlight" to see available commands
4. Select a highlighting mode
5. Click the status bar item or run Git Spotlight: Clear All Highlights to clear

Commands

Configuration

Duration Formats

• 7d - 7 days
• 2w - 2 weeks
• 3m - 3 months (30 days each)
• 1y - 1 year
• 2024-01-15 - ISO date
• 2024-01-15T10:30:00Z - ISO datetime

Architecture

src/
├── extension.ts          # Main entry, commands, state management
├── blame/
│   ├── gitRunner.ts      # Safe git command execution
│   ├── blameParser.ts    # Parses git blame output
│   └── blameCache.ts     # Caches blame by (file, HEAD)
├── highlight/
│   ├── decorator.ts      # Multi-mode decoration manager
│   ├── gutterDecorator.ts # Gutter annotation manager
│   ├── heatmap.ts        # Heatmap color calculations
│   └── styles.ts         # Decoration style definitions
├── views/
│   └── fileStatistics.ts # Statistics webview panel
├── config/
│   └── settings.ts       # Type-safe configuration
└── utils/
    ├── colorGenerator.ts # Consistent color generation
    ├── debounce.ts       # Debounce utility
    ├── fileUtils.ts      # File validation
    └── timeParser.ts     # Duration parsing

Requirements

• VS Code 1.85.0+
• Git installed and in PATH
• File must be tracked by Git

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open issues and pull requests on GitHub.