git diff for working directory changes - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the command git diff show by default?

It shows the changes in the working directory that are not yet staged for commit.

beginner

How can you see the changes that are staged for the next commit?

Use git diff --cached or git diff --staged to see staged changes.

intermediate

What is the difference between git diff and git diff HEAD?

git diff shows unstaged changes, while git diff HEAD shows all changes (staged and unstaged) compared to the last commit.

beginner

How do you limit git diff output to a specific file?

Add the file name at the end, like git diff filename.txt.

beginner

What does the output of git diff look like?

It shows lines removed with a minus (-) and lines added with a plus (+), highlighting the exact changes.

What does git diff show by default?

A All files in the repository

B Changes already committed

C Changes staged for commit

D Changes in the working directory not staged for commit

git diff by default shows changes in your working directory that you have not yet staged.

Which command shows changes staged for the next commit?

A git diff --cached

B git diff HEAD

C git status

D git log

git diff --cached shows the staged changes ready to be committed.

How do you see all changes (staged and unstaged) compared to the last commit?

A git diff

B git diff HEAD

C git diff --staged

D git show

git diff HEAD compares your current working directory and staging area to the last commit.

What symbol in git diff output indicates a line was removed?

A *

B +

C -

D #

Lines removed are shown with a minus (-) sign in git diff output.

How to limit git diff output to a single file?

A git diff filename

B git diff --file filename

C git diff --only filename

D git diff -f filename

Simply add the file name after git diff to see changes for that file only.

Explain what git diff shows and how it helps in tracking changes.

Think about what you see before you save your work.

Describe the difference between git diff and git diff --cached.

One shows changes not ready to commit, the other shows changes ready to commit.