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Sourcetree Won't Launch External Diff

Chris Hunt_jrl19n

I was previously using an older version of Sourcetree, and I'd have to keep setting up the external diff tool on every restart of the program. I found a post here that said that was a known issue, and it was fixed in the latest version. So I updated to 3.1.3 for Windows, and while the Tools->Options->Diff menu does remember what I put in there now, it doesn't do anything anymore.

When I try to run one, the Process Log says this:

{
"Command": "git-c diff.mnemonicprefix=false -c core.quotepath=false difftool -y --tool=sourcetree be772c0da4337819b46177dcd6ada189b9cbb464^..be772c0da4337819b46177dcd6ada189b9cbb464 --ble/Source/hal_vault.c",
"Directory": "C:\\Project\\Main",
"Status": "Finished",
"Duration": "00:00:01.0446160",
"CallerContext": "GetExternalDiffProcess",
"Output": "Unknown merge tool sourcetree\nfatal: external diff died, stopping at ble/Source/hal_vault.c\n"
}

I've seen this topic multiple times on here, but none of the solutions seem to be applicable to my situation. I have "Allow Sourcetree to modify your global Git and Mercurial config files" checked. But if I change the tool from within Sourcetree, my .gitconfig file doesn't change. And if I run the command from the log above through the terminal, MINGW64 doesn't give me the error message.

So I don't think Sourcetree knows where my .gitconfig file is located. I found another thread that said it first looks in the path defined by the HOME environment variable; I didn't have one, but I created it, and that still didn't help. So how do I tell Sourcetree where my .gitconfig is, or what other issue am I missing?

Accepted answers

Mike Corsaro

Hello! There's multiple locations that your .gitconfig can be located: local, global, and system wide.

Sourcetree sets the diff config at the global level -- which should be located in "C:\Users\USERNAME\.gitconfig". We don't actually look for a file path, but instead tell git to set the config value with the --global flag set.

So for example, this is what my difftool config looks like using TortoiseMerge:

[difftool "sourcetree"]
    cmd = 'C:/Program Files/TortoiseSVN/bin/TortoiseMerge.exe' \"$LOCAL\" \"$REMOTE\"
    prompt = false
[mergetool "sourcetree"]
    cmd = 'C:/Program Files/TortoiseSVN/bin/TortoiseMerge.exe' -base:\"$BASE\" -mine:\"$LOCAL\" -theirs:\"$REMOTE\" -merged:\"$MERGED\"
    trustExitCode = true

So now I wonder why git isn't setting the file. Are you using the system-wide install of git, or the embedded install (you can check in Options > Git)?

All comments

Mike Corsaro

Hello! There's multiple locations that your .gitconfig can be located: local, global, and system wide.

So for example, this is what my difftool config looks like using TortoiseMerge:

[difftool "sourcetree"]
    cmd = 'C:/Program Files/TortoiseSVN/bin/TortoiseMerge.exe' \"$LOCAL\" \"$REMOTE\"
    prompt = false
[mergetool "sourcetree"]
    cmd = 'C:/Program Files/TortoiseSVN/bin/TortoiseMerge.exe' -base:\"$BASE\" -mine:\"$LOCAL\" -theirs:\"$REMOTE\" -merged:\"$MERGED\"
    trustExitCode = true

So now I wonder why git isn't setting the file. Are you using the system-wide install of git, or the embedded install (you can check in Options > Git)?

Chris Hunt_jrl19n

Using System Git. And the config file I've been checking to see if Sourcetree would change is at C:\Users\chunt\.gitconfig but it's not writing to that one.

Mike Corsaro

Could you open the process viewer (Tools > Process Viewer...), set the diff tool, then close the options window. Then look at the process log for an item that looks like this:

git -c diff.mnemonicprefix=false -c core.quotepath=false --no-optional-locks config --global difftool.sourcetree.cmd

As a work-around, you can save that process log to a file, then find item in the file that contains the command to set the diff tool and run it. I'd be interested in getting a copy of that log too if possible.

Chris Hunt_jrl19n

Aha!

{
"Command": "git -c diff.mnemonicprefix=false -c core.quotepath=false config --global difftool.sourcetree.cmd \"'C:/Program Files/TortoiseHg/lib/kdiff3.exe' \\\"$LOCAL\\\" \\\"$REMOTE\\\"\"",
"Directory": "C:\\Users\\chunt\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\",
"Status": "Finished",
"Duration": "00:00:00",
"CallerContext": "SetGlobalConfig",
"Output": "error: could not lock config file U://.gitconfig: No such file or directory\n"
},

Looks like it's looking for it in a nonexistent U: drive. I mapped U: to my C:\Users\chunt folder and now Sourcetree writes to .gitconfig and launches the external diff. Thank you!

Pretty sure the previous version I upgraded from didn't look there, and it's not getting that drive letter from any Path or environment variables. Let's say I didn't want to have to map the drive though; is there a way to tell Sourcetree not to look in "U:\"? Why does it look there by default?

ibrar.mumtaz

@Adam Hilton- is another viable answer. This is what worked for me in the end.

Kevin James_2gyoxd

In my case, I had set my user.name and user.email in the global config via Git. However, SourceTree v3.4.6 showed the incorrect user name and email under Options | General | Default user information.

Once I changed the Full Name and Email address in SourceTree to match that of my global config, then changes I made under Options | Diff | External Diff/Merge began to be reflected in my global config and the external diffs worked as expected in SourceTree.

Jwalseth Tableau

I had to do both:

setx HOME %USERPROFILE%

and

change my name in SourceTree from James to Jim, to match my .gitconfig file.

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