Search & Filter
Find any commit, author, or file in seconds with Gitux's powerful search and filter tools.
Overview
Large repositories can have thousands of commits. Gitux gives you multiple ways to quickly narrow down exactly what you're looking for — whether it's a specific commit message, a particular author's work, commits within a date range, or the history of a single file.
The Search Bar
The search bar sits above the commit graph. Click Search & Filter (or press Ctrl+F) to expand it.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🔍 Search & Filter ▼ │ Search commits... │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🔍 Search commit messages... │ 📄 Search files → history... 📁│
│ 👤 All Authors ▼ FROM [date] TO [date] [Clear Filters] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Collapsed Mode
When collapsed, a quick search input is always visible for fast commit message searching without expanding the full panel.
Expanded Mode
Click the bar or press Ctrl+F to reveal the full filter panel with all options.
Commit Message Search
Type in the search field to instantly filter commits:
- Matches against commit messages
- Also matches commit hashes (short or full)
- Highlights matching text in the commit graph
- Results update as you type
Example
Searching for login shows only commits with "login" in the message, such as:
- "feat: add login page"
- "fix: login timeout on slow connections"
- "refactor: extract login validation"
Author Filter
Click the All Authors dropdown to filter by a specific contributor:
- Lists all unique authors from loaded commits
- Click an author to show only their commits
- Click All Authors to clear the filter
- Active filter is highlighted in accent colour
Great for:
- Reviewing a team member's recent work
- Finding your own commits
- Understanding who worked on what
Date Range Filter
Use the From and To date pickers to narrow commits to a time window:
- Click the date field to open the calendar picker
- Set just a From date to see everything after that date
- Set just a To date to see everything before it
- Set both for a specific range
- Useful for release reviews, sprint retrospectives, or finding "what changed last week"
File Search
The file search input lets you find any tracked file in the repository:
- Type a filename or path fragment
- Matching files appear in a dropdown
- Use ↑/↓ arrow keys to navigate results
- Press Enter or click to open that file's complete commit history
Example
Type Login to see:
src/components/Login.tsxsrc/tests/Login.test.tssrc/styles/login.css
Click any result to instantly open the File History panel for that file.
File Browser
Click the folder icon (📁) on the right side of the file search input to open the full file browser modal.
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📁 Browse Files 142 files │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ▶ 📁 src │
│ ▶ 📁 components │
│ ▶ 📁 CommitGraph │
│ 📄 CommitGraph.tsx 🕐 │
│ 📄 CommitRow.tsx 🕐 │
│ 📄 SearchFilterBar.tsx 🕐 │
│ ▶ 📁 store │
│ 📄 App.tsx 🕐 │
│ ▶ 📁 electron │
│ 📄 package.json 🕐 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Click a file to view its history │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘- Folders are sorted first, shown with expand/collapse arrows
- Files show a clock icon on hover indicating "view history"
- Click any file to open its full File History
- The tree mirrors your repository's actual directory structure
Combining Filters
All filters work together. For example:
- Search for
auth+ Author: "Jane" + From: last month - This shows only Jane's authentication-related commits from the past month
The status bar shows: "Showing 12 of 847 commits" so you always know how many results match.
Clearing Filters
- Click Clear Filters to reset everything at once
- Or clear individual filters (X button on search, reset author dropdown, clear dates)
- The graph instantly returns to showing all commits
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+F | Toggle search & filter panel |
Escape | Clear search text or close panel |
↑ / ↓ | Navigate file search results |
Enter | Select file from search results |
Tips
Start Broad, Then Narrow
Begin with a text search, then add author or date filters to refine results.
Use File Search for Quick History
Instead of finding a file in the staging panel or commit details, type its name directly in the file search to jump straight to its history.
Browse the File Tree
For unfamiliar repositories, use the file browser to explore the project structure and quickly check the history of any file.
Hash Search
If someone shares a commit hash, paste it into the search field to find that exact commit instantly.
Related
- Commit Graph — The visual history view
- File History — Tracking file changes over time
- Keyboard Shortcuts — All shortcuts