Version Control

Version Control

"The fewer times you leave the editor, the more you stay in flow."

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The Problem

UE5 developers working with Git face a recurring workflow interruption: switch to a terminal or Git GUI, check status, stage files, commit, switch back to the editor. For developers using source control frequently — multiple commits per session, branch checks before testing, quick diffs before merging — this context switch adds up.

Unreal's built-in source control integration is designed primarily for Perforce and SVN. Git support exists but is minimal. It does not surface the information Git-fluent developers want: commit history with diffs, branch topology, changelist organization, or quick commit operations.

Third-party Git plugins exist, but most are either too simple (just status indicators on assets) or too complex (full Git GUIs that duplicate functionality already available in dedicated tools). The sweet spot — enough Git visibility to avoid leaving the editor for routine operations, without trying to replace a full Git client — is underserved.

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The Solution

PGX Version Control provides a dockable Slate panel inside the Unreal Editor with the Git operations most commonly needed during a development session.

Changelists

View pending changes organized by category. See which files are modified, added, or deleted. The changelist view mirrors what git status shows, but presented in a panel you can keep open alongside your viewport and Content Browser.

Commit Operations

Stage and commit directly from the panel. Write commit messages in the editor's text fields. The commit workflow follows standard Git semantics — staged files are committed, unstaged files remain pending.

Commit History

Browse the commit log with messages, authors, timestamps, and file change summaries. Useful for quick checks: "What did I change in the last commit?" or "When was this file last modified?" without opening a terminal.

Branch Management

View the current branch, switch branches, and see available branches. Branch operations include the safety checks that prevent common mistakes — warning before switching with uncommitted changes, for example.

Clipboard Integration

Copy commit hashes, branch names, or formatted commit links to the clipboard. Useful for sharing references in chat, issue trackers, or documentation without manually constructing links.

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What It Is Not

Version Control is not a replacement for a full Git client. It does not provide:

• Interactive rebase
• Merge conflict resolution
• Remote management (push/pull with authentication)
• Submodule operations
• Stash management

These operations are complex, infrequent, and better served by dedicated tools. The panel covers the 80% of Git interactions that happen every session — status, stage, commit, log, branch — and leaves the 20% to your preferred Git client.

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Design Decisions

Why a dockable panel and not a modal window?

Because source control information is reference data — you want it visible while you work, not hidden behind a menu. A dockable panel can live alongside the Content Browser, the viewport, or any other panel in your layout. You glance at it when you need it.

Why not extend UE5's built-in source control?

UE5's source control abstraction is designed for centralized VCS (Perforce, SVN) with file-level locking semantics. Git's distributed model, branch-centric workflow, and staging area do not map cleanly onto that abstraction. Building a dedicated panel avoids fighting the engine's assumptions about how source control works.

Why clipboard integration?

Because the most common "output" of a Git operation in a team context is a reference: a commit hash shared in Slack, a branch name pasted into a PR description, a file path included in a bug report. Making these one-click operations removes a small but frequent friction point.

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Integration With PGX Workflow

The Version Control panel appears in the PGX toolbar's tools submenu, has its own Hub dashboard card, and registers as a quick-access pinnable panel. It follows the same visual construction system as all other PGX panels — accent bar, section dividers, footer bar, and consistent typography.

For teams using the workspace manifest and validation scripts, the panel complements the automated CI workflows (validate, package, sync) with the in-editor visibility needed during active development.