git status to see current state - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

When working on code, you often need to know what changes you have made and what files are ready to be saved. The git status command shows you the current state of your project, including changes and files not yet saved.

When you want to check which files have been changed before saving your work.

When you want to see if there are new files that git is not tracking yet.

Before committing changes to make sure you know exactly what will be saved.

After pulling updates from others to see if your files are different.

When you want to confirm if your working directory is clean or has pending changes.

Commands

This command shows the current state of your working directory and staging area. It tells you which files are modified, staged for commit, or untracked.

Terminal

git status

Expected Output

On branch main

Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.



Changes not staged for commit:

  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)

  (use "git restore -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)

	modified:   example.txt



Untracked files:

  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)

	newfile.txt



no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: git status tells you exactly what files have changed and what is ready to be saved.

Common Mistakes

Running git status expecting it to save or commit changes.

git status only shows the state; it does not save or commit anything.

Use git add to stage changes and git commit to save them.

Ignoring untracked files shown by git status.

Untracked files are not saved in git until you add them, so they can be lost or forgotten.

Use git add to start tracking new files you want to save.

Summary

git status shows which files are changed, staged, or untracked.

It helps you understand what will be included in your next commit.

Use it often to keep track of your work before saving changes.

Practice

1. What does the git status command show you in a Git project?

easy

A. The current state of files: new, modified, or staged changes

B. The history of all commits in the project

C. The list of remote repositories connected

D. The size of the Git repository on disk

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of git status

   This command tells you which files are new, changed, or ready to be saved (staged).

2. Step 2: Compare with other Git commands

   Commands like git log show commit history, not file states. git remote shows remotes, and size info is not shown by git status.

3. Final Answer:

   The current state of files: new, modified, or staged changes -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   git status -> new/modified/staged [OK]

Hint: Remember: git status shows file changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing git status with git log
• Thinking it shows remote repository info
• Expecting it to show repository size

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to check the current state of your Git working directory?

easy

A. git state

B. git status

C. git show status

D. git check

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the exact command for checking file states

   The correct command is git status to see new, modified, or staged files.

2. Step 2: Identify incorrect commands

   git check, git show status, and git state are not valid Git commands for this purpose.

3. Final Answer:

   git status -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   git status = correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use exactly git status to check file changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding extra words like 'show' or 'state'
• Using non-existent commands
• Misspelling 'status'

3. You run git status and see this output:

On branch main
Changes not staged for commit:
  modified:   app.js

Untracked files:
  test.txt

What does this output tell you?

medium

A. Both files are committed and clean

B. app.js is staged and test.txt is committed

C. app.js is deleted; test.txt is staged

D. app.js is modified but not staged; test.txt is new and untracked

Solution

1. Step 1: Interpret 'Changes not staged for commit'

   This means app.js has changes but is not yet added to the staging area.

2. Step 2: Interpret 'Untracked files'

   test.txt is a new file Git does not track yet.

3. Final Answer:

   app.js is modified but not staged; test.txt is new and untracked -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   not staged + untracked -> modified/new [OK]

Hint: Look for 'not staged' and 'untracked' labels in output [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming modified files are staged
• Thinking untracked files are committed
• Confusing deleted files with modified

4. You ran git status but it shows:

fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. You have no internet connection

B. Your Git installation is corrupted

C. You are not inside a Git repository directory

D. You have no changes to commit

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand normal git status behavior

   Normally, git status always shows some output, even if clean.

2. Step 2: Identify why this fatal error occurs

   This error means you are not inside a Git repository folder, so Git cannot find the project.

3. Final Answer:

   You are not inside a Git repository directory -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   fatal not repo -> not inside dir [OK]

Hint: Check if you are inside a Git folder before running commands [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming no output means no changes
• Blaming internet connection
• Thinking Git is broken without checking repo

5. You want to check if any files are staged or modified before committing. Which sequence of commands will help you see the current state and then save your changes?

hard

A. git status -> git add . -> git commit -m 'message'

B. git commit -m 'message' -> git status -> git add .

C. git add . -> git commit -m 'message' -> git status

D. git push -> git status -> git commit -m 'message'

Solution

1. Step 1: Use git status to check file states

   This shows which files are modified or staged before committing.

2. Step 2: Stage changes and commit

   git add . stages all changes, then git commit -m 'message' saves them.

3. Final Answer:

   git status -> git add . -> git commit -m 'message' -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   status -> add -> commit [OK]

Hint: Check status first, then add, then commit [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Committing before adding changes
• Pushing before committing
• Checking status after commit instead of before