Include the Current Branch Name in Terminal Output

Enhance Your Git Workflow: A Customized Terminal Prompt

Tired of the generic terminal prompt? This guide shows you how to create a more informative prompt that clearly displays your current Git branch. This is especially helpful for developers working with Git regularly.

Before: The Standard Terminal Prompt

Notice the simplicity: username, hostname, and current directory.

The Goal: A Branch-Aware Prompt

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Table of Contents

1. Accessing the ~/.bashrc file
2. Defining the Git Branch Function
3. Customizing the Prompt String
4. Applying the Changes
5. The Result
6. Adapting for Other Shells (zsh, fish)
   • Zsh Configuration
   • Fish Shell Configuration

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Step-by-Step Guide

This enhancement involves modifying the PS1 environment variable, which controls your terminal prompt's appearance. We'll add dynamic content—the current Git branch.

1. Accessing the ~/.bashrc file

The PS1 variable is defined in the ~/.bashrc file. Open this file using your preferred text editor:

<code class="language-bash">nano ~/.bashrc</code>

2. Defining the Git Branch Function

To display the branch only within Git repositories, we'll use a shell function:

<code class="language-bash">parse_git_branch() {
  git branch 2>/dev/null | sed -n '/\* /s///p'
}</code>

This function efficiently extracts the current branch name from git branch output.

3. Customizing the Prompt String

Now, let's customize PS1 to include the branch information and add color-coding:

<code class="language-bash">if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[3[01;91m\]\u@\h\[3[00m\]:\[3[01;35m\]\w\[3[00m\]\[3[01;92m\]$([[ -d .git ]] && echo " ($(parse_git_branch))")\[3[00m\]$ '
else
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w$([[ -d .git ]] && echo " ($(parse_git_branch))")$ '
fi</code>

This code uses ANSI escape codes for color. The Git branch is conditionally displayed (only within Git repos) and highlighted in green.

4. Applying the Changes

After editing ~/.bashrc, apply the changes:

<code class="language-bash">source ~/.bashrc</code>

5. The Result

Your terminal prompt will now display the current Git branch within repositories, enhancing readability and workflow efficiency.

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6. Adapting for Other Shells

Zsh (Z Shell): Add this to your ~/.zshrc file:

<code class="language-zsh">PROMPT='%F{red}%n@%m%f:%F{magenta}%~%f$([ -d .git ] && echo " (%F{green}$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)%f)") % '</code>

Fish Shell: Add this to your ~/.config/fish/config.fish file:

<code class="language-bash">nano ~/.bashrc</code>

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Need custom colors? Leave a comment with your desired hex codes (e.g., nickname/hostname: #FF5733, path: #8E44AD, branch: #2ECC71), and I'll provide the updated code.

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