Recently I discovered vcs_info recently. This nicely replaces the horrible hack I was using previously to show current Git status. vcs_info works with VCSes besides Git, and it handles some of the magic and keeps your .zshrc clean, so those are nice benefits.

I used some Unicode to display colored circles. Green if there are staged changes, yellow if there are unstaged changes, and red if there are new untracked-yet-unignored files. Below is a picture.

I like this because I'm constantly forgetting to git add newly-created files. Then I have to add them and amend my commit, and so on. I like a prompt that reminds me that new files showed up that need to be added or ignored.

Code:

autoload -Uz vcs_info

zstyle ':vcs_info:*' stagedstr '%F{28}●'
zstyle ':vcs_info:*' unstagedstr '%F{11}●'
zstyle ':vcs_info:*' check-for-changes true
zstyle ':vcs_info:(sv[nk]|bzr):*' branchformat '%b%F{1}:%F{11}%r'
zstyle ':vcs_info:*' enable git svn
precmd () {
    if [[ -z $(git ls-files --other --exclude-standard 2> /dev/null) ]] {
        zstyle ':vcs_info:*' formats ' [%F{green}%b%c%u%F{blue}]'
    } else {
        zstyle ':vcs_info:*' formats ' [%F{green}%b%c%u%F{red}●%F{blue}]'
    }

    vcs_info
}

setopt prompt_subst
PROMPT='%F{blue}%n@%m %c${vcs_info_msg_0_}%F{blue} %(?/%F{blue}/%F{red})%% %{$reset_color%}'

Picture:

Limitations

As you can see in the screenshot, when you have a brand new Git repo (no commits yet), vcs_info fails to show you that there are files staged. It works OK after you have at least one commit though.

vcs_info doesn't (yet?) handle showing untracked files. So I hacked a function to support it.

Finding a good Unicode symbol that displays nicely in monospace font was annoying. If I ever change fonts, I'll likely have to pick a new symbol. It also doesn't display too well in a real tty. Or over SSH when using Putty. So I may have to scrap the stoplights and use plus-signs or something. Sigh.

Finally I found a good Git tutorial that starts from the absolute basics and goes steadily through more advanced things. I highly recommend it.

Today was a terrible day. I found myself subconsciously trying to use Emacs keystrokes in Vim. I feel dirty. I took a bath but it won't come clean. : (

It just goes to show that you can get used to anything if you do it often enough. Emacs still drives me up the wall but maybe I've achieved a critical mass of enough custom keybindings to let me tolerate it.

Aside from paredit, which has no equal even in Vim, Emacs does have some vaguely non-sucky features. hi-lock is pretty nice (Vim has an equivalent of course). Once I learned a few of the shortcuts for git-emacs I actually found myself using Git much more effectively. Having to drop into a shell to type Git commands is just enough of a disruption to prevent me from doing it often enough. I never got the hang of any version control library in Vim.

I'm almost even getting used to the Emacs buffer model. I find myself C-x bing and flipping back and forth between buffers by name, rather than my Vim practice of opening buffers in certain carefully-placed windows and leaving them there.

On the subject of typing, I broke down finally and ordered a Unicomp Customizer 104 keyboard. I've heard too many hackers say that the old IBM clicky keyboards are good for typing. It should arrive Tuesday, and I'm a lot more excited than anyone should be over a keyboard.

Expect a keyboard review. Try to contain your excitement until then. I know it'll be hard.