GitLens VS Code: Apply Specific Changes Guide

GitLens in VS Code can help you selectively apply changes from other branches, though it’s primarily a visualization and navigation tool rather than a dedicated patching utility. While GitLens doesn’t have a traditional “patch” feature, you can use its interactive staging capabilities to accept specific changes line by line, and for your scenario of rolling back commits while preserving select changes, combining GitLens with traditional Git commands will be most effective.

Contents

• Understanding GitLens Capabilities for Change Selection
• Step-by-Step Guide to Applying Specific Changes
• Alternative Methods for Complex Scenarios
• Troubleshooting Common Issues with GitLens
• Best Practices for Selective Change Application

Understanding GitLens Capabilities for Change Selection

GitLens extends VS Code’s built-in Git functionality with enhanced visualization and navigation tools, but it’s important to understand its capabilities and limitations:

• Primary Function: GitLens excels at visualizing Git history, blame information, and differences
• Change Selection: While it doesn’t have a dedicated “patch” application feature, GitLens allows for interactive staging through its diff views
• Visualization: The “green highlights” you’re seeing are GitLens’s visual indicators for incoming changes when comparing branches
• Staging Control: GitLens provides fine-grained control over what gets staged, allowing you to select specific changes within a file

For your specific use case of rolling back 15 commits while preserving select changes, GitLens can help you identify and stage the specific changes you want, but you’ll likely need to combine it with traditional Git commands for the rollback operation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Applying Specific Changes

Here’s how to apply specific changes using GitLens in VS Code on macOS:

1. Open the GitLens View

• Open the GitLens sidebar by clicking the Git icon in VS Code’s Activity Bar
• Alternatively, use the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and search for “GitLens: Show Git Repositories”

2. Compare Branches to Identify Changes

• Right-click on your current branch in the GitLens sidebar
• Select “Compare With…” and choose the branch containing the changes you want
• This displays all changes between branches in the GitLens diff view

3. Select and Stage Specific Changes

• Navigate through the files to find the specific file with changes you want
• Click on a file to see the detailed diff with green highlights (incoming changes)
• Hover over a green highlighted line and click the “Stage” (+) icon that appears
• Continue staging only the specific changes you want to apply
• Once you’ve staged all desired changes, commit them with a descriptive message

4. Handle the 15-Commit Rollback

For rolling back 15 commits while preserving your staged changes:

• First, ensure all your desired specific changes are staged but not yet committed
• Right-click your current branch and select “Reset”
• Choose “Soft Reset” to keep your changes but move the branch pointer back
• Alternatively, use “Interactive Rebase” for more precise control over which commits to keep

Alternative Methods for Complex Scenarios

When GitLens’s capabilities fall short for complex operations like your scenario, consider these traditional Git approaches:

1. Using git cherry-pick

# First, identify the specific commit(s) with changes you want
git log other-branch --oneline

# Then cherry-pick just those commits
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

2. Using git format-patch

# Create a patch file for specific changes
git format-patch --stdout <commit-hash> > changes.patch

# Apply the patch
git apply changes.patch

3. Using git diff and apply

# Create a patch from specific changes between branches
git diff other-branch > changes.patch

# Apply the patch (use --reject to handle conflicts)
git apply --reject changes.patch

These methods give you more control over how changes are applied and can be more reliable for complex scenarios.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with GitLens

If you’re encountering errors when trying to apply individual files with GitLens:

Error: “Failed to apply changes”

• This often occurs when there are conflicts or changes can’t be cleanly applied
• Try applying changes at a coarser granularity (entire file instead of specific lines)
• Consider using traditional Git commands for complex scenarios

Changes Not Showing in Green

• Ensure you’re comparing the correct branches
• Verify your GitLens extension is up to date
• Try refreshing the Git view with “GitLens: Refresh” command

Staging Individual Lines Not Working

• This feature might not be available in all GitLens versions
• Try updating to the latest version of GitLens
• As an alternative, use VS Code’s built-in staging capabilities in the Source Control view

Best Practices for Selective Change Application

When working with selective change application:

1. Make small, atomic commits when staging individual changes to maintain a clean history
2. Test thoroughly after applying selective changes to ensure functionality
3. Keep your changes documented with clear commit messages
4. Consider creating a feature branch for experimental change application before modifying your main branch
5. Use traditional Git commands for complex operations rather than relying solely on GUI tools

For your specific scenario of rolling back 15 commits while incorporating changes from another branch’s tip, the most effective approach would be:

1. Use GitLens to identify and stage the specific changes you want to preserve
2. Create a backup of your current branch
3. Use git reset --hard HEAD~15 to rollback the commits
4. Apply your staged changes as a new commit
5. Consider using git cherry-pick if there are specific commits from the other branch you want to incorporate

GitLens is a powerful visualization tool, but for complex Git operations like yours, combining it with traditional Git commands will provide the most reliable and controlled results.