How can I display the current branch in my git-cmd.exe terminal?

To display the current branch in your Git Bash (git-cmd.exe) terminal on Windows, you can customize the prompt by setting the PS1 environment variable. The PS1 variable controls the appearance of the command prompt and can be modified to include the current Git branch.

Follow these steps to display the current branch in the Git Bash terminal:

1. Open Git Bash (git-cmd.exe).

2. Check if the git-prompt.sh script is available. This script provides functions to customize the Git Bash prompt. It is usually included with Git for Windows. You can check its existence by running the following command:

   bashCopy code
   ls /usr/share/git/git-prompt.sh
   
   

   If the file is found, you can proceed to the next step. If it is not found, you may need to update or reinstall Git for Windows.

3. Edit your .bashrc or .bash_profile file. These files are typically located in your user home directory. Use your favorite text editor to open one of these files. For example:

   bashCopy code
   notepad ~/.bashrc
   
   

   If the file doesn't exist, you can create it.

4. Add the following lines to the .bashrc or .bash_profile file:

   bashCopy code
   # Load the git-prompt script
   
   source /usr/share/git/git-prompt.sh
   
   
   
   # Customize the prompt with the current Git branch
   
   PS1='\[\e]0;\w\a\]\n\[\e[32m\]\u@\h \[\e[33m\]\w\[\e[31m\]$(__git_ps1 " (%s)") \[\e[0m\]\n\$ '
   
   

   The above PS1 prompt format includes the current Git branch in parentheses, displayed in red.

5. Save the file and close the text editor.

6. To apply the changes immediately, run the following command in the Git Bash terminal:

   bashCopy code
   source ~/.bashrc
   
   

   The prompt should now display the current Git branch whenever you are inside a Git repository directory.

Keep in mind that if you are using a different terminal emulator or shell on Windows (e.g., Windows Terminal, PowerShell, etc.), the configuration might be different, and you'll need to adjust the prompt customization accordingly. The above steps are specific to Git Bash, which is typically included with Git for Windows installations.