git restore to discard working changes - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output after discarding changes with git restore?

You have modified a file named app.js in your working directory. You run the command git restore app.js. What happens to the file app.js?

A The changes in <code>app.js</code> are discarded and the file is restored to the last committed state.

B The changes in <code>app.js</code> are staged for commit but not discarded.

C The file <code>app.js</code> is deleted from the working directory.

D The changes in <code>app.js</code> are committed automatically.

💡 Hint

Think about what 'restore' means in the context of undoing changes.

The git restore command resets the file in the working directory to match the last commit, discarding any changes made since then.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What error occurs if you run git restore on a file not tracked by git?

You create a new file notes.txt but never added it to git. You run git restore notes.txt. What is the result?

A The file <code>notes.txt</code> is deleted from the working directory.

B The file <code>notes.txt</code> is restored to an empty file.

C The file <code>notes.txt</code> is added to the staging area.

D Error: pathspec 'notes.txt' did not match any files

💡 Hint

Consider what git knows about the file before restoring.

Git cannot restore a file it does not track. It will show an error that the pathspec did not match any files.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Which command sequence discards all local changes in the working directory?

You want to discard all local changes in your working directory for all tracked files. Which command sequence achieves this?

A git clean -fd

B git reset --hard

C git restore .

D git checkout master

💡 Hint

Focus on discarding changes only, not deleting untracked files.

git restore . discards all changes in tracked files in the current directory and below. git reset --hard also resets the index and HEAD, which is more than just discarding working changes.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why does git restore not discard changes in a file?

You run git restore config.yaml but your changes in config.yaml remain. What is the most likely reason?

A You need to run <code>git commit</code> first.

B The file <code>config.yaml</code> is untracked by git.

C The file is locked by another process.

D You forgot to add the <code>--staged</code> option.

💡 Hint

Think about whether git knows about the file.

If the file is untracked, git restore cannot discard changes because git does not manage it yet.

✅ Best Practice

expert

What is the safest way to discard changes in a file without affecting the staging area?

You have changes in index.html both staged and unstaged. You want to discard only the unstaged changes, keeping the staged ones intact. Which command should you use?

A git restore index.html

B git restore --staged index.html

C git reset index.html

D git checkout -- index.html

💡 Hint

Consider the difference between restoring staged and unstaged changes.

git restore index.html discards only unstaged changes in the working directory, leaving staged changes untouched. Using --staged affects the staging area instead.