git diff between branches - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to show differences between branch1 and branch2.

Git

git diff [1] [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Abranch1...branch2

Bbranch1..branch2

Cbranch1 branch2

Dbranch1-branch2

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using dots or dashes between branch names instead of space.

Confusing the syntax with other git commands.

The correct syntax to compare two branches is git diff branch1 branch2.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to compare branchA with branchB using the three-dot syntax.

Git

git diff [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AbranchA branchB

BbranchA...branchB

CbranchA..branchB

DbranchA-branchB

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using two dots instead of three dots.

Using space instead of dots.

The three-dot syntax branchA...branchB shows differences from the merge base to branchB.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to compare branchX and branchY.

Git

git diff [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AbranchX branchY

BbranchX-branchY

CbranchX..branchY

DbranchX...branchY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using dashes between branch names.

Using dots without understanding their meaning.

The correct way to compare two branches is to list them separated by space, like branchX branchY.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a command that shows differences between branch1 and branch2 with color output.

Git

git diff [1] [2] --color

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Abranch1

Bbranch2

C--word-diff

D--no-color

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Putting flags like --word-diff or --no-color as branch names.

Swapping branch names order.

The command compares branch1 and branch2 with color enabled by default or with --color.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a command that compares branchA and branchB, shows word differences.

Git

git diff [1] [2] [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AbranchA

BbranchB

C--word-diff

D-w

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up flags and branch names.

Using -w instead of --word-diff for word differences.

The command git diff branchA branchB --word-diff shows word-level differences between the branches.

Practice

1. What does the command git diff branch1 branch2 show you?

easy

A. The commit history of branch1

B. The list of branches in the repository

C. The differences in code between branch1 and branch2

D. The status of files in the current branch

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of git diff

   The git diff command compares changes between two points in Git, such as branches.

2. Step 2: Identify what comparing two branches means

   Comparing branch1 and branch2 shows the code differences between them.

3. Final Answer:

   The differences in code between branch1 and branch2 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   git diff branch1 branch2 = code differences [OK]

Hint: git diff between branches shows code changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it shows commit history
• Confusing with git branch command
• Expecting file status instead of differences

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to see differences between two branches named main and feature?

easy

A. git diff main feature

B. git diff --branches main feature

C. git diff feature..main

D. git diff main..feature

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall git diff syntax for branches

   The basic syntax is git diff branch1 branch2 without dots or extra flags.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   git diff main feature uses git diff main feature, which is correct. Options A and C use double dots which is incorrect for git diff. git diff --branches main feature uses a non-existent flag.

3. Final Answer:

   git diff main feature -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax = git diff main feature [OK]

Hint: Use 'git diff branch1 branch2' without dots [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using double dots '..' with git diff
• Adding unsupported flags like --branches
• Swapping branch order without reason

3. Given two branches, main and dev, where dev has added a new line console.log('Hello'); in app.js, what will git diff main dev show?

medium

A. An error message about branch names

B. A line removed: -console.log('Hello');

C. No output because branches are the same

D. A line added: +console.log('Hello');

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what git diff shows for added lines

   When a line is added in the second branch, git diff shows it with a plus sign (+).

2. Step 2: Apply to the example

   The new line console.log('Hello'); added in dev will appear as a line starting with + in the diff output.

3. Final Answer:

   A line added: +console.log('Hello'); -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Added lines show with + in git diff [OK]

Hint: Added lines show with + in git diff output [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking added lines show with -
• Expecting no output for changes
• Confusing branch order in diff

4. You run git diff main feature but get no output even though you know feature has changes. What is a likely reason?

medium

A. You forgot to commit changes in feature branch

B. The branches have no differences

C. You are currently on the feature branch

D. You used the wrong command syntax

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand git diff compares committed changes

   Git diff between branches compares committed differences, not uncommitted changes.

2. Step 2: Identify why no output appears

   If changes are not committed in feature, git diff won't show them when comparing branches.

3. Final Answer:

   You forgot to commit changes in feature branch -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Uncommitted changes not shown in branch diff [OK]

Hint: Only committed changes appear in git diff between branches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting uncommitted changes to show
• Confusing current branch with diff branches
• Assuming syntax error without checking commits

5. You want to review all changes between release and hotfix branches but only for files in the src/ folder. Which command correctly shows this?

hard

A. git diff release..hotfix src/

B. git diff release hotfix -- src/

C. git diff --src release hotfix

D. git diff release hotfix --path src/

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to limit git diff to a folder

   Git diff allows specifying paths after a double dash -- to limit output to those files or folders.

2. Step 2: Check each option for correct syntax

   git diff release hotfix -- src/ uses git diff release hotfix -- src/, which correctly limits diff to src/. git diff release..hotfix src/ uses double dots incorrectly. Options C and D use invalid flags.

3. Final Answer:

   git diff release hotfix -- src/ -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use -- then folder to limit git diff [OK]

Hint: Use -- then folder path to filter git diff output [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using double dots '..' with git diff
• Adding unsupported flags like --src or --path
• Placing folder path before branch names