git log formatting options - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - git log formatting options

Run git log command

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Parse commits in repo

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Apply formatting options

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Display formatted commit logs

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User reads output or pipes it

The git log command reads commits, applies formatting options, and shows the formatted commit history.

Execution Sample

Git

git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s" -3

Shows last 3 commits with short hash, author name, relative date, and commit message.

Process Table

Step	Action	Input/Option	Result/Output
1	Run command	git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s" -3	Starts reading last 3 commits
2	Read commit 1	Commit data	Commit hash: abc123, Author: Alice, Date: 2 days ago, Message: Fix bug
3	Format commit 1	%h - %an, %ar : %s	abc123 - Alice, 2 days ago : Fix bug
4	Read commit 2	Commit data	Commit hash: def456, Author: Bob, Date: 5 days ago, Message: Add feature
5	Format commit 2	%h - %an, %ar : %s	def456 - Bob, 5 days ago : Add feature
6	Read commit 3	Commit data	Commit hash: 789abc, Author: Carol, Date: 1 week ago, Message: Update docs
7	Format commit 3	%h - %an, %ar : %s	789abc - Carol, 1 week ago : Update docs
8	Display output	All formatted commits	Shows 3 formatted commit lines
9	End	No more commits or limit reached	Stops reading commits

💡 Limit of 3 commits reached, so git log stops reading more commits

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After 1	After 2	After 3	Final
commit_count	0	1	2	3	3
commit_hash		abc123	def456	789abc	789abc
formatted_line		abc123 - Alice, 2 days ago : Fix bug	def456 - Bob, 5 days ago : Add feature	789abc - Carol, 1 week ago : Update docs	789abc - Carol, 1 week ago : Update docs

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does git log stop after 3 commits even if the repo has more?

Because the -3 option limits output to 3 commits, as shown in execution_table row 9 where the limit is reached.

What does %h mean in the format string?

%h means the short commit hash, as seen in execution_table rows 3, 5, and 7 where hashes like abc123 appear.

How does git log know which commits to show first?

Git log shows commits starting from the newest going backward, shown in execution_table rows 2, 4, and 6 reading commits in order.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the formatted output at step 5?

A abc123 - Alice, 2 days ago : Fix bug

B def456 - Bob, 5 days ago : Add feature

C 789abc - Carol, 1 week ago : Update docs

D No output yet

💡 Hint

Check the 'Format commit 2' action at step 5 in the execution_table

At which step does git log stop reading commits due to the limit?

A Step 7

B Step 8

C Step 9

D Step 3

💡 Hint

Look at the exit_note and step 9 in the execution_table

If we remove the -3 option, how would the commit_count variable change?

A It would increase beyond 3

B It would stay at 3

C It would be 0

D It would decrease

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker row for commit_count and the effect of the -3 limit

Concept Snapshot

git log formatting options:
Use --pretty=format:"..." to customize commit output.
Common placeholders: %h (short hash), %an (author name), %ar (relative date), %s (subject).
Limit commits with -n (e.g., -3 for last 3 commits).
Output shows commits newest first.
Useful for concise, readable commit history.

Full Transcript

The git log command reads commits from the repository starting with the newest. When you add formatting options like --pretty=format, git log applies those to each commit's data. For example, %h shows the short commit hash, %an the author name, %ar the relative date, and %s the commit message. Using -3 limits output to the last three commits. The execution table shows each step: reading a commit, formatting it, and displaying it. Variables like commit_count track how many commits have been processed. Git stops reading commits once the limit is reached. This helps you see a clean, customized list of recent commits.