23.8.5.2 VC Status Commands

C-x v l

Display version control state and change history.

To view the detailed version control status and history of a file, type C-x v l (vc-print-log). It displays the history of changes to the current file, including the text of the log entries. The output appears in a separate window. The point is centered at the revision of the file that is currently being visited.

In the change log buffer, you can use the following keys to move between the logs of revisions and of files, to view past revisions, and to view diffs:

p

Move to the previous revision-item in the buffer. (Revision entries in the log buffer are usually in reverse-chronological order, so the previous revision-item usually corresponds to a newer revision.) A numeric prefix argument is a repeat count.

n

Move to the next revision-item (which most often corresponds to the previous revision of the file). A numeric prefix argument is a repeat count.

P

Move to the log of the previous file, when the logs of multiple files are in the log buffer (see section Dired under VC). Otherwise, just move to the beginning of the log. A numeric prefix argument is a repeat count, so C-u 10 P would move backward 10 files.

N

Move to the log of the next file, when the logs of multiple files are in the log buffer (see section Dired under VC). It also takes a numeric prefix argument as a repeat count.

f

Visit the revision indicated at the current line, like typing C-x v ~ and specifying this revision's number (see section Examining And Comparing Old Versions).

d

Display the diff (see section Comparing Files) between the revision indicated at the current line and the next earlier revision. This is useful to see what actually changed when the revision indicated on the current line was committed.