Git plugin: Show current branch in Git Staging view (again)

[chrispitude]

In the 3.0.0 release of the quite excellent Git plugin, the current branch is no longer shown here:

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I think this is because the buttons now consume more horizontal space, and because the current branch is still available as a tooltip on the Branches button:

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In our environment, we jump between branches frequently. We might work on release notes in one branch, release docs in another branch, and development docs in a third branch. We have automatic branch merges, so it is vital that content be committed to the correct branch (or it gets incorrectly included in merges, which becomes difficult to undo).

In this week's writer's meeting, several writers commented that they really want the current branch shown again. I pointed out the tooltip, but they strongly prefer to have it always shown as before, and I feel the same way. Thus, even mindful of the need to conserve horizontal space, I am posting this request.

Comments from other Git Plugin users are welcomed. Thanks!

[alex_jitianu]

Hello,

Two more actions appeared on the toolbar and the space left for the current branch combo tended to be insufficient in its default size. Especially if you use a group naming convention for the branch, like I see you are, the branch name got truncated and you had to resize the view to it. For example: release/S...

That's why we tried several options. If you click the little triangle next to the branch action, a popup will appear and you will see the current branch in it as well. Another option we investigated was to put the branch below the Working Copy on a full row, but we decided it took too much out of the vertical space....

If the new layout makes it harder for users to find important information, we are more than willing to discus and implement a better alternative.

Best regards,
Alex

[chrispitude]

Hi Alex,

I agree with your observation that horizontal space becomes constrained with the new additions!

This is challenging because different information is important in different workflows. For us, we switch between release branches often as we work (release notes, minor release work, major release work) and so it is important to maintain branch awareness so commits go in the right branch. We have recently had a few instances of commits going into the wrong branch. But another customer might switch branches occasionally (or not at all), and so seeing the current branch is not as important. And we don't use tags at all, but tags might be important to another customer.

Thinking through a few ideas out loud...

Cloning a new repository is not a commonly performed operation. Having the Clone new repository button prominently shown is helpful for users who just installed the plugin and are not sure what to do next. But does the clone button justify its constant use of space once a repository is cloned? Maybe cloning could be moved to the settings (gear icon) drop-down menu instead?

Maybe the branch name could added to the "Working copy" value for the currently selected repo? There can we a reasonable amount of unused space in that text box. And it makes some amount of sense to show the current repo directory and current repo branch together (maybe??) as the overall context of what you're working with. The drawback is that this is not the drop-down you click to change the current branch; you would see the current branch in one place, but change it in another...

But maybe to address that, the branch icon could be moved adjacent to the repo directory icon?

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I included another idea here of changing "Working copy" to "Repository" for two reasons: (1) The connotation is less about the directory and more about the repo/branch context, and (2) "Repository" might be a more intuitive term for technical writers who aren't expert Git users too.

I was resistant to this change at first, but maybe there is a certain elegance in separating all the buttons to work within your current repo/branch context (top row), and change your current repo/branch context (second row). Some of our writers jump between repos as well as branches, so this makes sense for that too. And, this would free up more button space for whatever new Git feature you introduce next.

These are all just brainstorming ideas for discussion. Maybe the solution takes some other form entirely, or maybe the current UI remains unchanged...

[alex_jitianu]

Hello,

I've added a new issue to do a brainstorming and choose the best alternative. Another possibility we are investigating is to allow the user to configure the toolbar. If such a feature existed, you could remove the Clone, Tags, Submodules icons and make enough room for a dedicated branch widget. The configuration would be saved in the project to make it available to the entire team.

Best regards,
Alex

[chrispitude]

Thanks Alex!

I like the idea of making the toolbar configurable per project/plugin configuration, because then Oxygen project admins can roll out the environment that is most useful to the writers.

Even so, I hope you still consider combining the current repo/branch context information together. Even with the space issue mitigated, I think it is more intuitive to put all context information in one place.

[alex_jitianu]

Hi,
We've released a new version for the Git Client add-on. The current branch has it's own dedicated widget again. We've also simplified the toolbar and contributed a new Git menu in the main menu bar with all the available Git actions.

Best regards,
Alex

[chrispitude]

Hi Alex,

Thanks very much for implementing this!