Display current git branch name on Terminal using zsh

Install

Open ~/.zshrc in your favorite editor and add the following content to the bottom.

parse_git_branch() {
 git branch 2> /dev/null | sed -n -e 's/^\* \(.*\)/[\1]/p'
}
COLOR_DEF='%f'
COLOR_USR='%F{243}'
COLOR_DIR='%F{197}'
COLOR_GIT='%F{39}'
NEWLINE=$'\n'
setopt PROMPT_SUBST
export PROMPT='${COLOR_USR}%n@%M ${COLOR_DIR}%d ${COLOR_GIT}$(parse_git_branch)${COLOR_DEF}${NEWLINE}%% '

The script consists of the following parts:

• The parse_git_branch() function. This function uses the git branch command to list all of the branches in the current working directory. It then uses the sed command to filter the output to only the current branch, which is marked with an asterisk (*).
• The COLOR_DEF, COLOR_USR, COLOR_DIR, and COLOR_GIT variables. These variables define the colors that will be used to format the prompt.
• The NEWLINE variable. This variable defines the newline character.
• The setopt PROMPT_SUBST command. This command tells zsh to substitute variables in the prompt.
• The export PROMPT command. This command sets the prompt to the value of the PROMPT variable.

Script Usage

To use this script, you need to save it in a file called .zshrc in your home directory. Then, you need to open a new shell or source the .zshrc file.

source ~/.zshrc

Once you have done this, the current git branch name will be displayed in the prompt.

This article was originally published at https://medium.com/@aradsouza/display-current-git-branch-name-on-terminal-using-zsh-14c3ade27ee9