GitLab diff between commits... how does this work?

Question

I need to get a diff between two commits in GitLab. I've read the instructions for doing that, but they aren't consistent with GitLab's diff form.

I have to specify the name of the "to" project (the "from" project is pegged to the current project) and the "from" and "to" commits. But when I select Repository > Compare I get this:

The form prompts me for the name of the "to" project and "from" and "to" branches. There's no place to select the "from" and "to" commits!

Could I have displayed a form that's just for comparing the latest commits of different branches, even though I followed instructions for comparing different commits of the selected branch? I don't think so; the last button is labeled "Swap revisions," not "Swap branches." The form thinks it's inviting me to select two commits, but doesn't let me do it.

I tried entering commit IDs in the "branch" fields. GitLab won't let me. The fields are dropdowns. They let me enter a value, but it's just a filter for a list of branch names; when I enter a commit ID GitLab finds no matching branches and I can't select anything.

How is this supposed to work?

Answer 1

It is a bit confusing, but in the dropdown there is a field that you can use to filter your branch. In that field, you can enter the SHA of the commit, and press enter. In this way, you can compare commits