Optimized git diff --name-only

Question

I believe the two functions below is the same. But AI keep telling me they are different (that I think AI is wrong).

get_changed_files() {
    local staged_files committed_files
    staged_files=$(git diff --cached --name-only)
    committed_files=$(git diff --name-only "$1"..HEAD)

    # Combine and deduplicate files
    printf "%s\n%s\n" "$staged_files" "$committed_files" | sort -u | grep -v '^$'
}

get_changed_files() {
   git diff --name-only "$1" --cached
}

To be safe, I'm checking here, to see if I miss anything.

execise: can you imagine a given case, where a filename would be listed in staged_files and/or committed_files (first function), but not in the comparison between the index and $1 (second function) ? — LeGEC
– LeGEC, Commented Oct 28 at 15:50

Elye · Accepted Answer · 2025-10-28 22:23:53Z

0

After some further thought, technically they are the same. However, in detail, there some slight nuances diff.

Case as below

Action 1
- Add and Commit Change to ABC

Action 2
- Revert Commit Change to ABC, and Add (but not commit)

Then
- `git diff --cached --name-only` will return ABC
- `git diff --name-only "$1"..HEAD` will return ABC
- This means `get_changed_file()` will return ABC, even thought technically the line change is 0.

However
- `git diff --name-only "$1" --cached` will not return anything
- because Action 2 has reverted Action 1.

Hence, there's some slight different here, even though overall, if we want to just count the combined line change, both will be the same.

answered Oct 28 at 22:23

Elye

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3 Comments

mkrieger1 Oct 28 at 22:26

How did you manage to escape the markdown?! And why? Wouldn't it have been easier and looked better if you didn't?

Elye Oct 28 at 23:59

The mark down, didn't allow me to bullet point the code.

mkrieger1 Oct 29 at 7:55

Of course, you just shouldn't have put all the backslashes.

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