column Git Command Guide

The git column command formats and displays data in multiple columns, making output from other Git commands more readable by organizing it neatly.

git column Syntax:

git column [<options>] [-- <command>]

Options:

Option	Description
—mode=	Select the terminal-wide part of the width to use
—raw-mode=	Same as —mode but does not assume terminal width
—padding=	Determine padding between columns
—indent=	Add string to the beginning of each line
—width=	Specify terminal width (overrides autodetection)
—table	Prefix each column with a table-like header
—table-columns=	Specify column names for table headers
—column	Prefix each column with column number and header
—column-columns=	Specify column names when using —column
—line	Same as —column but without column numbers
—line-columns=	Specify column names when using —line
-n, —no-headers	Do not print headers
—help, -h	Display help

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
	Command whose output should be formatted

Caution

This command requires column data to be separated by null bytes (\0) or tabs. It’s primarily used internally by Git and less common for direct user interaction.

git column Command Samples:

Format branch list in columns

git branch --format='%(refname:short)' | git column --mode=column

Displays Git branches in organized columns.

Show branches with table headers

git branch --format='%(refname:short)%00%(objectname:short)' | git column --table --table-columns='Branch,SHA'

Creates a table format with headers.

Display tags in columns

git tag --sort=-creatordate | git column --mode=column

Shows tags sorted by creation date in columns.

Format with custom padding

echo -e "item1\\titem2\\nitem3\\titem4" | git column --padding=3

Shows items with 3 spaces padding between columns.

Use with for-each-ref

git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short)%00%(authorname)%00%(subject)' refs/heads | git column --mode=column --table --table-columns='Branch,Author,Subject'

Creates a table showing branches with author and subject.

Tip

Use printf '\\0' between columns for better formatting when piping to git column. Combine with —line for simple line-based output.

How do I display Git branches in columns?

To display Git branches in columns, use:

git branch | git column --mode=column

How can I create a table with git column?

To create a table with git column, execute:

<command> | git column --table --table-columns='<headers>'

How do I adjust column padding?

To adjust column padding, run:

<command> | git column --padding=<number>

How can I format output without headers?

To format output without headers, use:

<command> | git column --no-headers

How do I use git column with for-each-ref?

To use git column with for-each-ref, run:

git for-each-ref --format='...' | git column --mode=column

Applications of the git column command

1. Formatting branch lists for better readability in terminals
2. Creating table-like displays of repository references
3. Organizing output from commands like git tag and git branch
4. Presenting structured data in CI/CD pipeline outputs
5. Enhancing visual organization of Git command results
6. Supporting scripts that need formatted columnar display