git log formatting options - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to show the commit history with one line per commit.

Git

git log --[1]

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

Asingleline

Bone-line

Coneline

Dshort

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'one-line' instead of 'oneline' causes an error.

Using 'short' shows a brief log but not one line per commit.

The --oneline option shows each commit in a single line, making the log concise.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to show the commit history with a custom format showing only the commit hash and message.

Git

git log --pretty=[1]

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

Afull

Bformat:"%h %s"

Coneline

Dshort

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'full' or 'short' does not customize the output as needed.

Forgetting to include quotes around the format string causes errors.

The --pretty=format:"%h %s" option customizes the output to show the short commit hash and the commit message.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to show commit logs with author name and date in a custom format.

Git

git log --pretty=[1]

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

Aformat:"%an %ad"

Bformat:'%an %ad'

Cformat:%an %ad

Dformat="%an %ad"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using single quotes inside double quotes can cause shell errors.

Omitting quotes around the format string causes syntax errors.

The correct syntax uses double quotes inside the format option: format:"%an %ad".

4fill in blank

hard

Complete the command to show commit logs with abbreviated commit hash and author email.

Git

git log --pretty=[1]

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

Aformat:"%H %ae"

Bformat:"%H %an"

Cformat:"%h %an"

Dformat:"%h %ae"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using %H shows full hash instead of abbreviated.

Mixing author name (%an) instead of email (%ae).

The format:"%h %ae" option shows the short commit hash and author email.

5fill in blank

hard

Complete the command to show commit logs with commit hash, author name, and commit date in ISO format.

Git

git log --pretty=[1] [2]

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

Aformat:"%h %an %ad"

B--date=iso

C--date=short

D--date=relative

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using --date=short or --date=relative changes the date format incorrectly.

Not including the --date option results in default date format.

Use --pretty=format:"%h %an %ad" to show hash, author, and date. The --date=iso option formats the date in ISO format.

Practice

1. What does the %h placeholder represent in git log --pretty=format:"%h %s"?

easy

A. Author name

B. Abbreviated commit hash

C. Commit date

D. Full commit message

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand %h in git log format

   The placeholder %h stands for the abbreviated commit hash, a short version of the commit ID.

2. Step 2: Compare with other placeholders

   %an is author name, %cd is commit date, and %s is the commit message. So %h is unique for the commit hash.

3. Final Answer:

   Abbreviated commit hash -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Commit hash short form [OK]

Hint: Remember: %h = short hash, %an = author name [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing %h with %an (author name)
• Thinking %h shows full commit message
• Mixing %h with commit date placeholder

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to show the author name followed by commit message using git log --pretty=format?

easy

A. git log --pretty=format:"%an %s"

B. git log --pretty=format:"%s %an"

C. git log --pretty=format:"%author %message"

D. git log --pretty=format:"%name %subject"

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct placeholders for author and message

   The correct placeholders are %an for author name and %s for commit message.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   git log --pretty=format:"%an %s" uses %an %s which is valid. Options A and C use invalid placeholders. git log --pretty=format:"%s %an" reverses order but is still valid syntax, but question asks for author then message.

3. Final Answer:

   git log --pretty=format:"%an %s" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Author then message [OK]

Hint: Use %an for author, %s for message in format string [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid placeholders like %author or %message
• Swapping order when question specifies author first
• Missing quotes around format string

3. What will be the output of this command if the latest commit hash is abc1234, author is Jane, and message is Fix bug?

git log -1 --pretty=format:"%h - %an: %s"

medium

A. Fix bug - Jane: abc1234

B. abc1234 Jane Fix bug

C. Jane - abc1234: Fix bug

D. abc1234 - Jane: Fix bug

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand placeholders in format string

   The format string is %h - %an: %s. %h is abbreviated hash, %an is author name, %s is commit message.

2. Step 2: Substitute given values

   Replacing placeholders: %h = abc1234, %an = Jane, %s = Fix bug. So output is "abc1234 - Jane: Fix bug".

3. Final Answer:

   abc1234 - Jane: Fix bug -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Format placeholders replaced correctly [OK]

Hint: Match placeholders to values exactly in order [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing order of placeholders and values
• Ignoring separators like '-' and ':'
• Confusing full hash with abbreviated hash

4. You run git log --pretty=format:"%h %an %msg" but get an error. What is the problem?

medium

A. The placeholder %msg is invalid

B. Missing quotes around format string

C. Using %h and %an together is not allowed

D. Command needs --oneline option

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify invalid placeholder

   The placeholder %msg does not exist in git log formatting. The correct placeholder for commit message is %s.

2. Step 2: Check other parts of command

   Quotes are present, and using %h and %an together is valid. The --oneline option is optional and unrelated to this error.

3. Final Answer:

   The placeholder %msg is invalid -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Invalid placeholder causes error [OK]

Hint: Use %s for message, not %msg [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Typing %msg instead of %s
• Forgetting quotes around format string
• Assuming --oneline is required for formatting

5. You want to list commits showing only the abbreviated hash, author email, and commit date in ISO format. Which command achieves this?

hard

A. git log --pretty=format:"%h %an %cd" --date=short

B. git log --pretty=format:"%H %ae %cd" --date=iso

C. git log --pretty=format:"%h %ae %cd" --date=iso

D. git log --pretty=format:"%h %ae %cd" --date=relative

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify placeholders for required info

   %h is abbreviated hash, %ae is author email, %cd is commit date.

2. Step 2: Choose correct date format option

   --date=iso shows date in ISO 8601 format, which matches requirement.

3. Step 3: Verify options

   git log --pretty=format:"%h %ae %cd" --date=iso matches all requirements. git log --pretty=format:"%h %an %cd" --date=short uses %an (author name) and short date, not email or ISO. git log --pretty=format:"%H %ae %cd" --date=iso uses %H (full hash), not abbreviated. git log --pretty=format:"%h %ae %cd" --date=relative uses relative date format, not ISO.

4. Final Answer:

   git log --pretty=format:"%h %ae %cd" --date=iso -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Abbreviated hash, email, ISO date [OK]

Hint: Use %ae for email and --date=iso for ISO date format [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using %an instead of %ae for email
• Choosing wrong date format option
• Using full hash %H instead of abbreviated %h