git diff --staged for staged changes - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to see changes that are staged for commit.

Git

git diff [1]

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

A--all

B--branch

C--unstaged

D--cached

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using --unstaged shows changes not yet staged.

Using --all shows all changes including unstaged.

Using --branch is unrelated to diff.

The git diff --cached command shows the differences between the staged changes and the last commit.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to view staged changes using the alternative option.

Git

git diff [1]

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

A--reset

B--staged

C--commit

D--patch

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using --reset resets changes, not shows diff.

Using --commit is for commits, not diff.

Using --patch shows patch format but not specifically staged.

--staged is an alternative to --cached to show staged changes.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to correctly show staged changes.

Git

git diff --[1]

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

Astage

Bstaged

Ccached

Dstaging

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using --stage causes an error.

Using --staging is not a valid git diff option.

The correct option is --cached. --stage is invalid (--staged is a valid alternative).

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a command that shows staged changes for a specific file.

Git

git diff [1] [2]

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

A--cached

B--staged

CREADME.md

Dmain.py

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using unstaged options shows wrong changes.

Using wrong file names or missing file name shows all files.

Use git diff --cached README.md to see staged changes for the file README.md.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a command that shows staged changes with word diff for a file.

Git

git diff [1] --word-diff [2]

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

A--cached

Bmain.py

C--staged

DREADME.md

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using --staged instead of --cached may work but here only --cached is correct.

Mixing file names or missing file name shows all files.

The command git diff --cached --word-diff main.py shows staged changes with word-level differences for main.py.

Practice

1. What does the command git diff --staged show?

easy

A. Changes that are staged and ready to be committed

B. All changes in the working directory, staged or not

C. The commit history of the repository

D. Untracked files in the repository

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what staging means in Git

   Staging means preparing changes to be saved in the next commit.

2. Step 2: Identify what git diff --staged compares

   This command compares the staged changes against the last commit, showing what will be committed.

3. Final Answer:

   Changes that are staged and ready to be committed -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Staged changes = git diff --staged output [OK]

Hint: Remember: --staged shows only prepared changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing staged changes with all changes
• Thinking it shows commit history
• Assuming it lists untracked files

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to view staged changes using git?

easy

A. git diff staged

B. git diff --cached

C. git diff --stage

D. git diff --status

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall git diff options for staged changes

   Git uses --cached as the official option to show staged changes.

2. Step 2: Understand that --staged is an alias

   --staged is a common alias but --cached is the correct and original syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   git diff --cached -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax for staged diff = git diff --cached [OK]

Hint: Use --cached to view staged changes reliably [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect flags like --stage
• Omitting the double dash before options
• Confusing staged with unstaged flags

3. Given the following commands executed in order:

echo 'Hello' > file.txt
git add file.txt
git diff --staged

What will git diff --staged display?

medium

A. No output, because the file is new and staged

B. An error because the file is not committed yet

C. The difference showing removal of 'Hello' in file.txt

D. The difference showing the addition of 'Hello' in file.txt

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the state of file.txt after commands

   The file is new with content 'Hello' and has been staged with git add.

2. Step 2: What does git diff --staged show here?

   It shows the difference between the staged version and the last commit (which has no file.txt), so it shows the addition of 'Hello'.

3. Final Answer:

   The difference showing the addition of 'Hello' in file.txt -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   New staged file diff shows added content [OK]

Hint: New staged files show additions in git diff --staged [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting no output for new files
• Thinking git diff --staged errors on new files
• Confusing removal with addition

4. You modified files in your editor, staged them with git add, ran git diff --staged but saw no output. What could be the problem?

medium

A. You staged the files but forgot to save changes in the editor

B. You used git diff instead of git diff --staged

C. You committed the changes already, so no staged changes remain

D. The repository has no commits yet

Solution

1. Step 1: Check if file changes are saved before staging

   If changes are not saved in the editor, staging old content means no visible diff.

2. Step 2: Understand why no output appears

   Since staged content matches last commit (or is empty), git diff --staged shows nothing.

3. Final Answer:

   You staged the files but forgot to save changes in the editor -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Unsaved edits cause empty staged diff [OK]

Hint: Always save files before staging to see diffs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming git diff --staged shows unstaged changes
• Not realizing files were not saved
• Thinking commit status affects staged diff output

5. You have staged changes in two files: app.js and index.html. You want to see only the staged changes in app.js. Which command should you use?

hard

A. git diff --cached index.html

B. git diff app.js staged

C. git diff --staged app.js

D. git diff --staged --name-only app.js

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to limit git diff to a specific file

   You can specify the file path after the options to filter the diff output.

2. Step 2: Choose the correct syntax for staged changes and file filter

   git diff --staged app.js correctly shows staged changes only for app.js.

3. Final Answer:

   git diff --staged app.js -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   File filter after --staged shows staged diff for that file [OK]

Hint: Put filename after --staged to filter staged diff [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Placing filename before options
• Using --name-only which lists files, not diffs
• Mixing staged and unstaged file filters