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Git Service

The Git Service provides comprehensive git repository management functionality for SpecifyX projects. It handles repository initialization, branch management, file staging, commits, and repository information retrieval through a clean abstraction layer.

Overview​

The service is built around two main components:

  • GitService (abstract interface) - Defines the contract for git operations
  • CommandLineGitService (concrete implementation) - Implements git operations via command-line interface

Key Features​

Repository Management​

  • Git repository initialization with automatic initial commit
  • Repository detection and validation
  • Platform-specific line ending configuration
  • Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Branch Operations​

  • Branch creation with automatic checkout
  • Branch switching and navigation
  • Current branch detection
  • Smart branch handling (avoids duplicate operations)

File and Commit Operations​

  • Flexible file staging (all files or specific patterns)
  • Commit creation with custom messages
  • Robust error handling for git operations
  • Automatic handling of empty repositories

Repository Information​

  • Current branch name retrieval
  • Remote origin URL detection
  • Repository status validation
  • Git configuration management

Core Classes​

GitService (Abstract)​

class GitService(ABC):
    def init_repository(self, project_path: Path) -> bool
    def create_branch(self, branch_name: str, project_path: Path) -> bool
    def checkout_branch(self, branch_name: str, project_path: Path) -> bool
    def add_files(self, project_path: Path, file_patterns: Optional[List[str]] = None) -> bool
    def commit_changes(self, message: str, project_path: Path) -> bool
    def is_git_repository(self, project_path: Path) -> bool
    def get_current_branch(self, project_path: Path) -> Optional[str]
    def get_remote_url(self, project_path: Path) -> Optional[str]
    def configure_platform_line_endings(self, project_path: Path) -> bool

CommandLineGitService (Implementation)​

service = CommandLineGitService()
service.init_repository(Path("/path/to/project"))
service.create_branch("feature/new-feature", Path("/path/to/project"))
service.add_files(Path("/path/to/project"))
service.commit_changes("Initial commit", Path("/path/to/project"))

Repository Operations​

Repository Initialization​

The service provides intelligent repository initialization:

  • Creates git repository in specified directory
  • Automatically stages existing files (excluding hidden files)
  • Creates initial commit with standardized message
  • Gracefully handles empty directories
  • Robust error handling for various edge cases

Branch Management​

Comprehensive branch operations with smart handling:

  • Branch Creation: Creates new branches with automatic checkout
  • Branch Switching: Switches to existing branches safely
  • Duplicate Prevention: Avoids creating branches that already exist
  • Current Branch Detection: Retrieves active branch information

File Operations​

Flexible file staging capabilities:

  • Stage All Files: Adds all files in repository (default behavior)
  • Pattern-Based Staging: Supports specific file patterns and paths
  • Selective Staging: Stage individual files or directories
  • Hidden File Handling: Automatically excludes git metadata

Platform Configuration​

Line Ending Management​

Automatic platform-specific configuration:

  • Windows: Converts LF to CRLF on checkout, CRLF to LF on commit
  • Unix/macOS: Preserves LF line endings without conversion
  • Safety Warnings: Configures git to warn about line ending issues
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Ensures consistent behavior across platforms

Error Handling​

The service provides comprehensive error handling for various scenarios:

Operation Failures​

  • Git command execution errors
  • Missing git binary detection
  • Permission denied errors
  • Invalid repository states

Validation Errors​

  • Non-existent directories
  • Invalid branch names
  • Empty repository handling
  • Staging area conflicts

Recovery Strategies​

  • Graceful degradation for partial failures
  • Clear error reporting with boolean return values
  • Safe handling of edge cases (empty repos, missing files)

Usage Examples​

Basic Repository Setup​

from specify_cli.services.git_service import CommandLineGitService

service = CommandLineGitService()

# Initialize repository with files
project_path = Path("/path/to/project")
if service.init_repository(project_path):
    print("Repository initialized successfully")
else:
    print("Failed to initialize repository")

Branch Management​

# Create and switch to new branch
if service.create_branch("feature/user-auth", project_path):
    current = service.get_current_branch(project_path)
    print(f"Created and switched to branch: {current}")

# Switch to existing branch
if service.checkout_branch("main", project_path):
    print("Switched to main branch")

File Operations​

# Stage all files
if service.add_files(project_path):
    print("All files staged")

# Stage specific files
if service.add_files(project_path, ["src/", "docs/"]):
    print("Specific directories staged")

# Commit changes
if service.commit_changes("Add new feature", project_path):
    print("Changes committed successfully")

Repository Information​

# Check if directory is git repository
if service.is_git_repository(project_path):
    # Get current branch
    branch = service.get_current_branch(project_path)
    print(f"Current branch: {branch}")
    
    # Get remote URL
    remote = service.get_remote_url(project_path)
    if remote:
        print(f"Remote origin: {remote}")

Platform Configuration​

# Configure line endings for platform
if service.configure_platform_line_endings(project_path):
    print("Platform line endings configured")

Complete Workflow Example​

from pathlib import Path
from specify_cli.services.git_service import CommandLineGitService

def setup_project_repository(project_path: Path, feature_name: str) -> bool:
    service = CommandLineGitService()
    
    # Initialize repository
    if not service.init_repository(project_path):
        print("Failed to initialize repository")
        return False
    
    # Configure platform-specific settings
    service.configure_platform_line_endings(project_path)
    
    # Create feature branch
    branch_name = f"feature/{feature_name}"
    if service.create_branch(branch_name, project_path):
        print(f"Created feature branch: {branch_name}")
    
    # Verify setup
    current_branch = service.get_current_branch(project_path)
    is_repo = service.is_git_repository(project_path)
    
    print(f"Repository setup complete:")
    print(f"  - Repository: {'✓' if is_repo else '✗'}")
    print(f"  - Current branch: {current_branch}")
    
    return True

# Usage
setup_project_repository(Path("/path/to/new-project"), "user-authentication")

Integration Points​

The Git Service integrates with:

  • Project Manager: For repository initialization during project setup
  • Config Service: For branch naming pattern validation and generation
  • Template Service: For committing generated template files

Implementation Details​

Command Execution​

  • Uses subprocess.run() with proper error handling
  • Captures both stdout and stderr for debugging
  • Sets working directory context for all operations
  • Implements timeout protection for long-running operations

Security Considerations​

  • Input validation for branch names and commit messages
  • Safe handling of file paths and patterns
  • Protection against command injection
  • Proper escaping of user-provided strings

Performance Characteristics​

  • Minimal overhead for git command execution
  • Efficient batch operations for multiple files
  • Lazy evaluation of repository status
  • Optimized for typical project initialization workflows

Factory Pattern​

def get_git_service() -> CommandLineGitService:
    """Factory function to create a CommandLineGitService instance"""
    return CommandLineGitService()

Use this pattern for consistent service instantiation across the application.

Dependencies​

  • subprocess: For git command execution
  • pathlib: For cross-platform path handling
  • typing: For type annotations and optional values
  • abc: For abstract base class definitions

The service requires git to be installed and available in the system PATH.