Git Repository Manager

A comprehensive Python GUI application for managing and browsing Git repositories with advanced filtering and branch visualization capabilities.

Features

Repository Management

• Folder Selection: Browse and select any folder to scan for Git repositories
• Recursive Scanning: Automatically finds all Git repositories in subfolders
• Submodule Detection: Detects Git submodules (repositories with .git files instead of folders)
• Submodule Hierarchy: Shows submodules as children under their parent repositories
• Smart Tree View: Only displays folders that contain repositories (directly or indirectly)
• Auto-Save: Remembers your selected folder and preferences between sessions

Filtering & Search

• Repository Filter: Filter repositories by name using regex patterns
• Branch Filters: Filter branches by:
  • Author name (regex supported)
  • Commit message content (regex supported)
• Real-time Updates: All filters update the view instantly

Visual Organization

• Color-Coded Hierarchy: Different colors for each folder level
  • Level 1: Red
  • Level 2: Blue
  • Level 3: Teal
  • Level 4: Magenta
  • Level 5: Orange
  • Level 6: Green
• Folder vs Repository: Regular folders in dark gray, repositories in level-specific colors
• Submodule Highlighting: Git submodules displayed in tomato color to distinguish from regular repositories

Branch Management

• Local & Remote Branches: Separate views for local and remote branches
• Detailed Information: Shows commit SHA, message, author, and date for each branch
• Customizable Display: Toggle visibility of different branch information columns
• Sortable Columns: Click column headers to sort by:
  • Branch name
  • Commit SHA
  • Commit message
  • Author
  • Date

File System Integration

• Right-Click Context Menu: Right-click any folder to open it in File Explorer
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Ensure you have Python 3.6+ installed
3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Build a Windows Executable (PyInstaller)

You can package the app into a standalone Windows executable using PyInstaller.

Quick build (recommended folder/directory mode)

1. Ensure Python is installed and available via py or python.
2. (Optional) Create and activate a virtual environment.
3. Install dependencies and PyInstaller:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   pip install pyinstaller==5.13.2

4. Build (directory mode keeps supporting files like app_data.json writable):

   pyinstaller --noconfirm --clean --name GitRepositoryManager --windowed --add-data "app_data.json;." git_repository_manager.py

5. Run the app:

   .\dist\GitRepositoryManager\GitRepositoryManager.exe

Single-file build (optional)

Add --onefile (slower startup, settings still saved next to the exe if writable directory):

pyinstaller --noconfirm --clean --onefile --name GitRepositoryManager --windowed --add-data "app_data.json;." git_repository_manager.py

Output: dist\GitRepositoryManager.exe

Using the included script

Run the provided batch file which automates environment setup and build:

./build_exe.bat

It produces: dist\GitRepositoryManager\GitRepositoryManager.exe

Notes

• --add-data "app_data.json;." ensures the default settings file is packaged; the app will recreate it if missing.
• Use --windowed to suppress the console window. Omit it for debug logs in a console.
• If you encounter missing DLL errors for pywin32, run:

  python -m pywin32_postinstall -install

• To reduce size, you can prune the build/ folder after confirming the executable works; only dist/ is needed for distribution (for directory mode keep the whole folder).

Virus scanner false positives

Some antivirus tools may flag freshly built PyInstaller executables. Signing the binary and/or adding an exclusion typically resolves this. Building from source locally is safest.

Usage

Build a macOS executable (PyInstaller)

A small helper script is included to build on macOS using PyInstaller.

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.x available as python3
• Xcode command line tools (for some builds)

Quick build:

1. Make the script executable:

   chmod +x build_macos.sh

2. Run the build script:

   ./build_macos.sh

This script creates a virtualenv in .venv, installs requirements.txt and a pinned PyInstaller, then runs PyInstaller in directory (onedir) mode so app_data.json remains writable next to the executable.

To use the included spec file instead, run:

pyinstaller GitRepositoryManager.spec

1. Run the Application:

   python git_repository_manager.py

2. Select a Folder:

   • Click "Select Folder" to choose a root directory to scan
   • The application will recursively find all Git repositories

3. Browse Repositories:

   • Expand folders in the left tree view
   • Each repository has "local" and "remote" branch categories
   • Repositories with submodules will show a "submodules" category
   • Click on "local" or "remote" to view branches in the right panel
   • Submodules are displayed as children under their parent repository

4. Apply Filters:

   • Use the "Repository Filter" to filter repositories by name
   • Use "Branch Filter" fields to filter branches by author or commit message
   • All filters support regex patterns

5. Customize View:

   • Use checkboxes to show/hide branch information columns
   • Click column headers to sort branches

6. File Operations:

   • Right-click any folder to open it in your file manager

Data Persistence

The application automatically saves your preferences in app_data.json, including:

• Selected folder path
• Filter settings
• Display preferences
• Sort settings

This file is automatically added to .gitignore to avoid committing personal settings.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Enter: In filter fields, applies the filter
• Right-click: On tree items, opens context menu

Troubleshooting

Git Commands Not Working

• Ensure Git is installed and available in your system PATH
• The application uses git commands to gather branch information

Performance with Large Repositories

• The initial scan may take time for folders with many repositories
• Filtering happens in real-time and should be responsive

UI Freezing

• Repository scanning runs in a background thread to prevent UI freezing
• If the UI becomes unresponsive, wait for the scan to complete

Technical Details

• Framework: Python tkinter (cross-platform GUI)
• Git Integration: Uses subprocess to call git commands
• Threading: Background scanning to maintain UI responsiveness
• Data Format: JSON for settings persistence

File Structure

git_repository_manager/
├── git_repository_manager.py   # Main application file
├── requirements.txt            # Dependencies (none required)
├── .gitignore                 # Git ignore file
├── app_data.json              # Settings (auto-generated)
└── README.md                  # This file