WannabeGit - A Lightweight Version Control System

A Git-inspired CLI-based version control system built in Python with enhanced features and improved architecture.

Features

Core Version Control

• Repository Management: Initialize and manage local repositories
• File Tracking: Add files to staging area with pattern matching support
• Commits: Create commits with metadata, parent tracking, and branching
• History: View commit history with multiple display formats
• Branches: Create, list, delete, and switch between branches
• Diff Engine: Advanced file comparison with color-coded output
• Status: Comprehensive working directory status tracking

Enhanced Features

• Colored Terminal Output: Beautiful, Git-like colored interface
• Pattern Matching: Add multiple files using wildcards (e.g., *.py)
• Ignore Patterns: Gitignore-style file exclusion
• Detached HEAD: Support for checking out specific commits
• Safety Checks: Prevent data loss with uncommitted change detection
• Commit Graph: Visual representation of commit history
• Parent Tracking: Full commit ancestry and history chain
• Branch Management: Complete branch operations with validation

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/DharminJoshi/WannabeGit
cd wannabegit

# Make the main script executable (optional)
chmod +x main.py

# Run directly
python main.py <command>

# Or create an alias
alias wannabegit='python /path/to/wannabegit/main.py'

Quick Start

# Initialize a new repository
wannabegit init

# Add files to staging area
wannabegit add file.txt
wannabegit add *.py              # Add all Python files
wannabegit add -A                # Add all modified tracked files

# Create a commit
wannabegit commit -m "Initial commit"

# View status
wannabegit status
wannabegit status -s             # Short format

# View history
wannabegit history
wannabegit history --oneline     # Condensed format
wannabegit history -n 5          # Limit to 5 commits

# Create and switch branches
wannabegit branch feature-x      # Create branch
wannabegit branch -l             # List branches
wannabegit checkout feature-x    # Switch to branch
wannabegit checkout -b new-feat  # Create and switch

# View differences
wannabegit diff                  # Working dir vs HEAD
wannabegit diff --cached         # Staged vs HEAD
wannabegit diff abc123 def456    # Between commits

# Visualize commit graph
wannabegit history --graph

Command Reference

Repository Initialization

wannabegit init

Creates a new WannabeGit repository in the current directory.

File Staging

# Add specific files
wannabegit add <file1> <file2> ...

# Add with wildcards
wannabegit add *.txt

# Add all modified tracked files
wannabegit add -A

Committing Changes

# Create commit
wannabegit commit -m "Commit message"

# Commit all tracked files
wannabegit commit -m "Message" -a

Viewing Status

# Detailed status
wannabegit status

# Short format
wannabegit status -s

Viewing History

# Full history
wannabegit history

# Limited history
wannabegit history -n 10

# One-line format
wannabegit history --oneline

# Visual graph
wannabegit history --graph

Branch Management

# List branches
wannabegit branch -l

# Create branch
wannabegit branch <branch-name>

# Delete branch
wannabegit branch -d <branch-name>

# Switch branches
wannabegit checkout <branch-name>

# Create and switch
wannabegit checkout -b <new-branch>

Comparing Changes

# Compare working directory with HEAD
wannabegit diff

# Compare staged changes with HEAD
wannabegit diff --cached

# Compare two commits
wannabegit diff <commit1> <commit2>

Reverting Changes

# Soft revert (keep working changes)
wannabegit revert <commit-id>

# Hard revert (discard all changes)
wannabegit revert <commit-id> --hard

Repository Structure

.wannabegit/
├── commits/           # Commit storage
│   └── <commit-id>/
│       ├── meta.json  # Commit metadata
│       └── <files>    # Committed files
├── objects/           # Object storage (future use)
├── refs/
│   └── heads/         # Branch references
│       └── <branch>   # Branch pointer files
├── HEAD               # Current HEAD reference
├── index.json         # Staging area
└── config.json        # Repository configuration

Configuration

The .wannabegit/config.json file stores repository settings:

{
  "core": {
    "repositoryformatversion": 0,
    "filemode": true,
    "bare": false
  },
  "user": {
    "name": "Dharmin Joshi / DevKay",
    "email": "devkay@example.com"
  }
}

Ignore Patterns

Create a .wannabegitignore file to exclude files:

# Python
*.pyc
__pycache__/
*.pyo

# Virtual environments
venv/
env/

# IDEs
.vscode/
.idea/

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

Patterns follow gitignore syntax:

• *.ext - Matches all files with extension
• dir/ - Matches entire directory
• !file - Negates previous pattern
• /abs - Absolute path from repo root

Advanced Features

Detached HEAD State

You can checkout specific commits directly:

wannabegit checkout abc123

This puts you in "detached HEAD" state where you're not on any branch.

Commit Metadata

Each commit stores comprehensive metadata:

• Commit ID (8-character hash)
• Parent commit reference
• Author information
• Timestamp
• Branch context
• File listing

Safety Features

• Uncommitted Change Detection: Prevents branch switching with uncommitted changes
• Branch Validation: Ensures branch names are valid
• Parent Tracking: Maintains commit history integrity
• Force Options: Override safety checks when needed

Color Coding

Terminal output uses colors for clarity:

• Green: Additions, current branch, success
• Red: Deletions, errors, warnings
• Yellow: Modifications, HEAD marker, notes
• Cyan: Branch names, info
• Bold: Headers, important info

Comparison with Git

Similar Features

• Repository initialization
• File staging and commits
• Branch management
• Commit history
• Diff visualization
• Ignore patterns

Key Differences

• Simpler commit ID generation (8 chars vs 40)
• No remote repository support
• No merge/rebase operations
• Simplified object storage
• Single-directory commits (no complex tree structures)

Development

Project Structure

wannabegit/
├── main.py                 # CLI entry point
├── wannabegit/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── core.py            # Core repository logic
│   ├── diff_engine.py     # Diff generation
│   ├── ignore.py          # Ignore pattern matching
│   ├── utils.py           # Utility functions
│   └── commands/          # Command implementations
│       ├── add.py
│       ├── branch.py
│       ├── checkout.py
│       ├── commit.py
│       ├── diff.py
│       ├── graph.py
│       ├── history.py
│       ├── init.py
│       ├── revert.py
│       └── status.py

Extending WannabeGit

To add new commands:

1. Create command module in wannabegit/commands/
2. Implement command function with signature: def cmd_name(**kwargs) -> int
3. Add parser configuration in main.py
4. Import and route in main() function

Troubleshooting

Repository Not Found

Error: Not a wannabegit repository

Solution: Run wannabegit init in your project directory

Nothing to Commit

Nothing to commit (staging area is empty)

Solution: Add files with wannabegit add <file>

Uncommitted Changes

Error: You have uncommitted changes

Solution: Either commit changes or use --force flag

Branch Already Exists

Error: Branch 'name' already exists

Solution: Use a different name or delete the existing branch

Future Enhancements

Potential features for future development:

• Remote repository support (push/pull)
• Merge and rebase operations
• Cherry-pick commits
• Stash functionality
• Tag support
• Submodule management
• Interactive staging
• Conflict resolution tools
• Performance optimizations
• Binary file handling improvements

⚖️ License

This project is licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 License.
See the LICENSE file for full details.

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⚠️ Disclaimer

This tool is intended for educational and personal use only.
Accuracy of distance measurement depends on proper calibration and camera positioning.

Provided "as is" — the developer (/'s) assumes no liability for any misuse or consequences.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Areas for improvement:

• Additional commands
• Performance optimizations
• Better error handling
• Test coverage
• Documentation enhancements

📬 Contact

• Developer: Dharmin Joshi / DevKay
• Email: info.dharmin@gmail.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dharmin-joshi-3bab42232
• GitHub: github.com/DharminJoshi

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Acknowledgments

Inspired by Git and built to understand version control internals.