Browse a GitLab Repository on Android

You can browse a GitLab repository on an Android phone with GitAlchemy, a free open source GitLab client. Open a project and you land on its README, with a branch picker and a file tree under it. Tap a folder to go in and tap a file to read it with syntax highlighting. You read straight from GitLab, so there is nothing to clone or download.

Steps

1. Open the project. Pick it from the Projects tab, or from Starred projects on the home screen. The project screen shows the stars, forks, issues and tags, and shortcuts to Issues, Merge Requests, CI/CD, Members, Branches, Tags and Releases.
2. Read the README. It renders below the latest commit line, with headings, tables and code blocks.
3. Open the Code tab. The file tree lists folders and files, folders first.
4. Pick a branch. The branch picker at the top switches the tree to another branch. Tags and releases have their own screens in the project menu.
5. Go into a folder. A breadcrumb shows where you are and takes you back up with one tap.
6. Find a file. Tap Find file and type part of a name. The tree filters to the matching entries in the current folder.
7. Open a file. The content shows in a code view with syntax highlighting. Tap Back to return to the tree where you were.
8. Check what changed. The Commits tab lists commits for the branch. Open one to see its diff.

Search across the whole project

Find file filters a folder. To search code, open the search screen from the search button in the header, or from the project menu to search inside one project. The command palette in the bottom bar, with the prompt Type a command or search, is a quicker route to the same places. The scopes include code, commits, issues, merge requests, milestones and users, and each result opens in the app. The app keeps the last searches of each account.

A tip: link a file from a chat

When someone sends you a link to a file on GitLab, open it in the app. The Open links setting in Settings lists the GitLab hosts whose links open in the app on Android. For a self-hosted server, share the link to the app instead, because Android only opens app links for servers that are listed in the app when it is built. The self-hosted guide explains it.

Limits

• The code view is for reading. Editing a file and committing it from the code browser is on the roadmap and does not exist yet. Fixes go through a branch and a merge request made elsewhere.
• Cloning is not part of the app. You read repositories straight from GitLab, so there is no local copy of the whole project.
• Recently viewed files stay readable with no signal, from a saved copy. Anything you have not opened before needs a connection.
• Private repositories need a token that can read them. See signing in with a personal access token.

Related

This is one step of the GitAlchemy for Android walkthrough. From a file you often go to an issue or to a merge request review.

FAQ

Can I read code on a phone comfortably?

For short files and for a quick look, yes. For a long review, turn the phone sideways, use a tablet for the side by side diff and read file by file.

Does it show images and binary files?

The file tree marks images with their own icon. We have not documented how every binary type opens, so use GitLab in a browser for those.