Magit. This is one of the major reason why I keep using Emacs.

The Problem with Git in Eshell

While Eshell provides a built-in way to use Git in Emacs, it still has limitations:

1. Need to type full Git commands like in terminal

   ~/projects/myapp $ git add .
   ~/projects/myapp $ git commit -m "Update feature"
   ~/projects/myapp $ git push origin main
   

2. Complex operations require multiple commands

   ~/projects/myapp $ git stash
   ~/projects/myapp $ git checkout main
   ~/projects/myapp $ git pull
   ~/projects/myapp $ git checkout -b feature
   ~/projects/myapp $ git stash pop
   

3. No visual interface for:

   • Staging specific hunks
   • Reviewing changes
   • Resolving conflicts

Solution: Pretty Hydra and Magit

First, we’ll set up pretty-hydra to create an intuitive interface:

(leaf major-mode-hydra
  :doc "Use pretty-hydra to define template easily"
  :url "https://github.com/jerrypnz/major-mode-hydra.el"
  :ensure t
  :require pretty-hydra)

Then integrate Magit with a pretty interface:

(leaf magit
  :doc "Complete text-based user interface to Git"
  :url "https://magit.vc/"
  :ensure t
  :init
  (setq magit-auto-revert-mode nil))

(leaf *hydra-git
  :bind
  ("M-g" . *hydra-git/body)
  :pretty-hydra
  ((:title " Git" :color blue :quit-key "q" :foreign-keys warn :separator "╌")
   ("Basic"
    (("w" magit-checkout "checkout")
     ("s" magit-status "status")
     ("b" magit-branch "branch")
     ("F" magit-pull "pull")
     ("f" magit-fetch "fetch")
     ("A" magit-apply "apply")
     ("c" magit-commit "commit")
     ("P" magit-push "push"))
    ""
    (("d" magit-diff "diff")
     ("l" magit-log "log")
     ("r" magit-rebase "rebase")
     ("z" magit-stash "stash")
     ("!" magit-run "run shell command")
     ("y" magit-show-refs "references")))))

Understanding the Configuration

Pretty Hydra Setup

• major-mode-hydra provides the foundation for creating structured menus
• :require pretty-hydra loads the core functionality
• Used to create organized command palettes

Hydra Menu Structure

1. Title and Options

   • :title " Git" - Displays at the top
   • :color blue - Menu stays until you quit
   • :quit-key "q" - Exit with ‘q’
   • :separator "╌" - Visual divider

2. Command Groups

   • “Basic” section for common operations
   • Empty section ("") for visual spacing
   • Commands organized by function

3. Key Bindings

   • Single letter shortcuts (e.g., “s” for status)
   • Descriptive labels for each command
   • Logical grouping of related functions

How It Improves Your Workflow

Before (with Eshell)

# Stage and commit changes
~/projects/myapp $ git add .
~/projects/myapp $ git status
~/projects/myapp $ git commit -m "Update feature"

# Check and push changes
~/projects/myapp $ git log
~/projects/myapp $ git push origin main

After (with Pretty Hydra + Magit)

1. Press M-g to open Git menu
2. See all available commands at once
3. Execute with single key press
4. Menu stays open for multiple operations

Key Features

1. Visual Menu

   • All commands visible at once
   • Organized categories
   • Clear descriptions

2. Efficient Operation

   • Single key execution
   • Persistent menu
   • Logical grouping

3. Enhanced UX

   • No command memorization needed
   • Consistent interface
   • Quick access to all Git operations

Conclusion

While Eshell remains useful for general command-line operations, the combination of Pretty Hydra and Magit provides a more efficient and user-friendly interface for Git operations.

The state of init.el at the conclusion of this article can be found here: https://github.com/Rindrics/.emacs.d/blob/f15a592ff38e34cd9919d584a65ca02a1dbcc829/init.el

References

• Magit
• Hydra