70% of coding is maintenance. Often you are replacing logic that might still be relevant, but requires a tweak. Why not show a live diff as you work? This keeps you in context without forcing you to comment out or write 'parallel' code.
Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
1–10 of 11 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#2Looks like a nice idea. I'd like an option to toggle between normal view and diff view. Perhaps you can write a plugin for your favorite text editor.
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#3Xcode has this except it's called Comparison view. It's one of the things I love about working in Xcode.
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#4Xcode has this except it's called Comparison view. It's one of the things I love about working in Xcode.
With some google search I got this screenshots for the Comparison view in Xcode.
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6013458/how-to-set-up-fil...
It has even some git integration.
http://www.appcoda.com/git-source-control-in-xcode/
https://aimatters.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/using-xcode-with-...
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#5All IDEs provide that...
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#6I constantly reference the Tower (https://www.git-tower.com/mac/) current diff view while coding a new feature or hotfix. It would be awesome to have that level of integration in Sublime. GitGutter is a great add-on package but way more limited in scope.
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#7All IDEs provide that...
my thoughts exactly.
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#8It's easy enough to diff and un-diff and I'd rather have the full window while editing, especially on a laptop.
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#9In addition to the other tools people have mentioned, Vim supports this with tpope's vim-fugitive (:Gdiff)
To answer your question, "... why not?":
* oftentimes when I'm writing code I'd rather split the screen with another relevant file
* sometimes the diff is irrelevant (I started from scratch, or primarily added code instead of modifying or removing it)
* other times, it's enough to know only that a line has changed. I've configured Vim (with vim-git-gutter) to show symbols next to added and removed lines
Re: Ask HN: Why not edit all code in 'diff' view?
#10If you tdd, you will write the test for the new code while the old code is still available, and you will use the test as a guide rather than the old code.
Even if you don't tdd, I would say that typically if you understand the code well enough to make a change, you should be able to write a replacement without referring to the old code. The diff should fit in your mind, so to speak. There are some exceptions, like when you're modifying a regex or some dense, opaque shell command, but in the course of modifying typical code I can't see a live diff being that useful to me