Today I'd love to introduce three useful Git aliases to maintain clean code and intelligent staging.
Quick Setup
# 1. Remove trailing whitespace from modified files
git config --global alias.cleanup '!git -c color.status=false status -s | grep -v "^D\|^.D" | cut -c4- | xargs -r -I {} sed -i "s/[[:space:]]*$//" {}'
# 2. Stage only substantive changes (ignore whitespace)
git config --global alias.stagewhitespace '!git reset . && git add -N . && git diff -w -b | git apply --cached'
# 3. Combine both operations
git config --global alias.smartadd '!git cleanup && git stagewhitespace'
Usage
git cleanup # Clean trailing spaces only
git stagewhitespace # Stage content changes only
git smartadd # Clean + smart staging
What Each Alias Does
cleanup
- Removes trailing whitespace from all modified files
- Skips deleted files to avoid errors
- Handles ANSI color codes in git status output
stagewhitespace
- Resets staging area
- Marks new files as intent-to-add
- Stages only meaningful content changes
- Ignores pure whitespace modifications
smartadd
- Runs cleanup first, then stagewhitespace
- One command for clean, intelligent staging
Key Features
- Safe: Filters out deleted files to prevent errors
- Smart: Handles new files correctly
- Clean: Maintains consistent code formatting
- Focused: Stages only substantive changes
Technical Details
The aliases handle several edge cases:
- ANSI color codes in git output (disabled with
-c color.status=false)
- Deleted files that would cause sed errors (filtered with
grep -v "^D\|^.D")
- New untracked files (handled with
git add -N)
- Empty file lists (handled with
xargs -r)
Perfect for teams that want clean commits without manual whitespace management.
Need to share changes from a GitHub PR (even closed ones)? Just add .diff or .patch to the PR URL:
Original URL:
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123
For diff format:
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123.diff
For patch format:
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123.patch
Both work for open, closed, or merged PRs. Perfect for code reviews, investigations, or sharing changes with others.
For LLM/AI analysis: Use .diff format - it's cleaner and more standardized than .patch which includes extra email headers.
Problem
Rider's WinForms Designer locks files, preventing builds. It is super annoying!
Solution
- File → Settings (Ctrl+Alt+S)
- Tools → Windows Forms Designer
- Uncheck "Enable Windows Forms Designer"
- Apply and restart Rider
Emergency Fix
Kill locked processes:
taskkill /IM dotnet.exe /F
Alternative
Use Visual Studio for form design, Rider for code.
# Remove conflicting B43 driver
sudo apt remove firmware-b43-installer
# Install Broadcom wireless driver
sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source
# Reset wireless modules
sudo modprobe -r b43 ssb wl
sudo modprobe wl
Troubleshooting
- If WiFi doesn't work, reboot your system
- Ensure you have the latest system updates
Note: This method resolves WiFi issues for my mid-2010 MacBook Pro. By the way, this driver has very good performance! I love this solution!!!
Problem
Solution
Edit your .rdp file with these key settings:
full address:s:your-server-address, such as xetawsdev85.xemt.dev
domain:s:XEMT
username:s:your-username, such as David.Wei
enablecredsspsupport:i:0
Key Points
- Separate domain and username - don't use
XEMT\David.Wei format in RDP file
Set authentication level:i:2 - forces proper authentication (this step has been proved not necessory)- Disable CredSSP support -
enablecredsspsupport:i:0 is essential (tested, this is the KEY option!)
- If you see a certificate warning on first connection - check "Don't ask me again"
Result
Username will be pre-filled correctly, only password entry required.