Using path wildcards in git log

Question

I have a file down deep in my git tree:

$ git ls-files | grep /Expression.java
sm/src/main/java/cl/utilities/sm/Expression.java

I'd like to get a log of its activity without having to type the whole path. Basically I want this output:

$ git log --oneline -2 sm/src/main/java/cl/utilities/sm/Expression.java
2718cdc cleaned up some warnings
f30cf15 Added missing @Overrides

... but without having to type sm/src/main/java/cl/utilities/sm. I tried lots of things, but none of them worked:

$ git log -- \*/Expression.java
$ git log -- \*Expression.java
$ git log -- \*\*/Expression.java
$ git log -- '*/Expression.java'
$ git log -- '**/Expression.java'

Answer 1

Use a wildcard, no escapes or quotes required:

git log -- */Expression.java

Tested on Windows 7 in cmd shell and git bash.

Depending on your shell, you may need quotes -- if single quotes don't work, try double quotes.

Answer 2

use xargs:

find . -name 'Expression.java' | xargs git log --oneline -2

Answer 3

With git 2.8 (March 2016), wildcards are more firmly supported both as pathspec or refspec.

See commit aac4fac, commit df714f8, commit 1cc777d (10 Feb 2016) by Jeff King (peff).
^{(Merged by Junio C Hamano -- gitster -- in commit e6a6a76, 24 Feb 2016)}

That means that:

• wilcard works with pathspecs:

    git log -- "*.t"
    # or
    git log    "*.t"
  

• wildcard works with refspecs (when searching for a commit message starting with 'b' for instance):

    git log "HEAD^{/b.*}" --
    # or
    git log "HEAD^{/b.*}