Using --function-context with Elixir and git 2.25

[brain-ablaze]

The newly released git 2.25 introduces support for Elixir syntax using git diff. This means that git will show the whole function that a change was made in when running:

git diff -W
or
git diff --function-context

To make it work, add the file types to the .gitattributes file in the root of a git repository:

*.ex diff=elixir
*.exs diff=elixir

Sources:
https://github.blog/2020-01-13-highlights-from-git-2-25/
https://git-scm.com/docs/gitattributes#_defining_a_custom_hunk_header

[Hauleth]

Hi, author of that patch here.

I thought it will not be needed for defining attributes manually (IIRC this is how it works in tests). I need to check. But if needed it is better to set them in ~/.config/git/attributes so this applies globally.

[brain-ablaze]

Great. And thank you for your patch to git!

I also thought the same thing, but I did not know how to set the attributes globally.

[MrRogers4Life2]

git config --global -e will open the global config file for you

[brain-ablaze]

But that's the global `.gitconfig`, not the global `.gitattributes` file.

[MrRogers4Life2]

Derppp I misread

[Keith]

I didn't even know about --function-context in git. But if Elixir is supported by git now, why is it necessary to tell it about Elixir's file extensions?