Sourcetree Won't Launch External Diff

[Chris Hunt]

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\r\n-c diff.mnemonicprefix=false -c core.quotepath=false difftool -y --tool=sourcetree be772c0da4337819b46177dcd6ada189b9cbb464^..be772c0da4337819b46177dcd6ada189b9cbb464 --\r\nble/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?

[Mike Corsaro · Accepted solution]

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)?

[Chris Hunt]

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]

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?

[Mike Corsaro]

So it's not actually Sourcetree that's looking in "U:\", but git itself. My bet is that your "HOME" environmental variable is set to "U:\" when it should probably be set to "%USERPROFILE%"

[Chris Hunt]

Well, like I said before, I didn't have a "HOME" environment variable before, and the first thing I tried was to add one and set it to %USERPROFILE%, or at least the literal path.  That didn't work; it still tried to find it in "U:\" which didn't exist.

If that's a git thing, odd it doesn't do it from the command line; "git config --global --edit" finds the file in %USERPROFILE% without a "HOME" environment variable and no "U:\" drive mapped.

I'll happily map it again and leave it that way since that makes everything work.  But I still don't know where git is getting "U:\" from.

[Aaron Carlson]

I had the same problem, except git/sourcetree was trying to use H:\ as the drive.  I'm using embedded git and I didn't have a HOME environment variable.  However, it looks like my computer has the following environment variables:

HOMEDRIVE=H:
HOMEPATH=\

I think these are set by the network administrator through Active Directory.  I don't actually have an H drive. 

I created a HOME environment variable and set it to %USERPROFILE% to fix it.  I had to restart source tree and unregister/reregister the external diff tools.  After that I'm able to use external diffs.

[Adam Hilton]

Setting the HOME environment variable got me up and running to! So many hours wasted on this...

https://danlimerick.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/git-for-windows-tip-setting-home-and-the-startup-directory/

Thank you!

[ibrar.mumtaz]

@Chris Hunt- i am having the same issue. Lost 2 hrs to this now.

I don't have a Home environment variable.

The ProcessViewer is telling me it is looking for my global git config file on the Q Drive. I don't have a Q Drive.

When I load gitbash terminal, it is picking up all of my settings from my c drive userprofile location. Which is correct. So I am at a loss here really.

[Mark Menssen]

@Aaron Carlson  How did you change your HOMEDRIVE? if i create a HOMEDRIVE environment variable, its like it has no effect.  

[Aaron Carlson]

@Mark Menssen, I created a home environment variable, not homedrive. 

You can use the SETX command from an elevated command prompt to do this.

For example:

setx HOME %USERPROFILE%

[Mark Menssen]

Oh ok, not sure why I kept thinking it was HOMEDRIVE.  Great this worked for me! Thank You!

[Pawel Cioch]

Worked for me as well. Thanks!

[ibrar.mumtaz]

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

[Kevin James]

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.