git commit with message - Mini Project: Build & Apply

git commit with message

📖 Scenario: You are working on a small project and have made changes to a file. Now, you want to save these changes in your Git repository with a clear message explaining what you did.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to create a Git commit with a descriptive message to save your changes in the repository.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a new file called example.txt with some text

Add the file to the Git staging area

Commit the changes with a message Initial commit with example.txt

Display the commit log to verify the commit

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Saving changes with clear messages helps teams understand what was done and why, making collaboration easier.

💼 Career

Knowing how to commit with messages is a basic but essential skill for any developer or DevOps engineer working with version control.

1

Create a new file called example.txt with text

Create a file named example.txt and add the text Hello, Git! inside it.

Git

# Create the file example.txt with the text 'Hello, Git!'
# Your code here

Hint

You can use the echo command to write text into a file.

2

Add example.txt to the Git staging area

Use the Git command to add the file example.txt to the staging area.

Git

echo "Hello, Git!" > example.txt
# Add example.txt to the Git staging area
# Your code here

Hint

Use git add example.txt to stage the file.

3

Commit the changes with a message

Create a Git commit with the message Initial commit with example.txt.

Git

echo "Hello, Git!" > example.txt

git add example.txt
# Commit the changes with the message 'Initial commit with example.txt'
# Your code here

Hint

Use git commit -m "your message" to commit with a message.

4

Display the commit log to verify

Use the Git command to show the commit log and verify your commit message appears.

Git

echo "Hello, Git!" > example.txt

git add example.txt

git commit -m "Initial commit with example.txt"
# Show the commit log
# Your code here

Hint

Use git log --oneline to see a short commit history.

Practice

1. What does the command git commit -m "Update README" do?

easy

A. Saves your changes with the message 'Update README'.

B. Deletes the README file from the repository.

C. Shows the commit history with the message 'Update README'.

D. Creates a new branch named 'Update README'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the git commit command

   The git commit command saves changes to the local repository.

2. Step 2: Understand the -m option

   The -m option adds a message describing the changes.

3. Final Answer:

   Saves your changes with the message 'Update README'. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   git commit -m "message" saves changes with message [OK]

Hint: Remember: -m adds your commit message directly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking commit deletes files
• Confusing commit with branch creation
• Assuming commit shows history

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to commit changes with a message in git?

easy

A. git commit -message "Fix bug"

B. git commit --msg "Fix bug"

C. git commit -m "Fix bug"

D. git commit message "Fix bug"

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the correct flag for commit message

   The correct flag to add a message is -m.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   Only git commit -m "Fix bug" uses the correct flag and syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   git commit -m "Fix bug" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use -m for commit message [OK]

Hint: Use -m followed by quotes for commit messages [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using -message instead of -m
• Omitting quotes around the message
• Using --msg which is invalid

3. What will be the output of the following commands?

git add file.txt
git commit -m "Add file.txt"

medium

A. Error: No files added to commit.

B. A new branch named 'Add file.txt' is created.

C. file.txt is deleted from the repository.

D. Changes in file.txt are saved with message 'Add file.txt'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand git add

   The git add file.txt command stages the file for commit.

2. Step 2: Understand git commit with message

   The git commit -m "Add file.txt" saves the staged changes with the message.

3. Final Answer:

   Changes in file.txt are saved with message 'Add file.txt'. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   git add + git commit -m saves changes [OK]

Hint: Add files before commit to save changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Committing without adding files first
• Expecting commit to delete files
• Confusing commit with branch creation

4. You run git commit -m Fix typo but get an error. What is the problem?

medium

A. The commit message must be in quotes.

B. The -m flag is missing.

C. You need to add files before committing.

D. The message 'Fix typo' is too short.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the commit message syntax

   Commit messages with spaces must be enclosed in quotes.

2. Step 2: Identify the error cause

   Without quotes, git treats 'Fix' as the message and 'typo' as an invalid argument.

3. Final Answer:

   The commit message must be in quotes. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use quotes around multi-word messages [OK]

Hint: Always quote multi-word commit messages [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around messages with spaces
• Forgetting to stage files before commit
• Assuming message length causes errors

5. You want to commit multiple changes with clear messages for each step. Which practice is best?

hard

A. Commit all changes at once with a single message.

B. Commit often with small changes and clear messages using git commit -m.

C. Avoid commit messages to save time.

D. Use git commit without messages and add them later.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand commit best practices

   Committing often with small, clear messages helps track changes better.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options

   Commit often with small changes and clear messages using git commit -m encourages clear, frequent commits using git commit -m, which is best practice.

3. Final Answer:

   Commit often with small changes and clear messages using git commit -m. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Frequent commits with messages improve tracking [OK]

Hint: Commit small changes often with clear messages [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Committing too many changes at once
• Skipping commit messages
• Delaying messages until later