How does the git diff –stat-graph-width command work?

The git diff --stat-graph-width command is a useful tool in Git, a version control system, for customizing the width of the stat graph in the output of a git diff command. The command is primarily used to adjust the display of diff stats to suit different display environments or personal preferences. It should be noted that as of my knowledge cut-off in September 2021, this specific command does not exist. Instead, the --stat-width command exists, and --stat-graph-width is likely a misunderstanding or an update introduced after this cut-off.

To illustrate how it is typically used, let’s look at the --stat-width command first.

Git diff’s --stat-width option is used to set the width of the diff stat output. By default, git tries to automatically adapt the width based on the terminal width. However, if you want to specify a particular width, you can use this option. The command is typically used in the format git diff --stat-width=<width>, where <width> is the number of characters you want the diff stat output to occupy.

If --stat-graph-width were to exist, we would expect it to work in a similar way, focusing specifically on the graph part of the diff stats.

Here’s an example to illustrate:

git diff --stat-width=80

This command will generate diff stat output that fits within 80 characters wide. The diff stat output is the summary at the end of the git diff command that shows how many lines were added or removed in each file.

For instance, a git diff output could look something like this:

README.md   |  2 +-
file1.txt   | 10 ++++------
file2.txt   |  5 +++--
3 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

The --stat-width command influences the total width of this output, including the filenames, the graph (the + and - symbols), and the numbers.

In summary, while the git diff --stat-graph-width command does not exist as of my knowledge cut-off in 2021, the use of git diff --stat-width allows you to customize the width of the diff stat output. If --stat-graph-width were to exist, it would likely allow you to adjust specifically the width of the graph section of the diff stats. Be sure to refer to the most recent Git documentation or use git diff --help for the most up-to-date information and options.