git status to see current state - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Using git status to see current state

📖 Scenario: You are working on a project and want to check what files have changed, which files are staged, and the current branch you are on.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to use the git status command to see the current state of your git repository.

📋 What You'll Learn

Have a git repository initialized

Make some changes to files

Use git status to check the current state

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Developers use <code>git status</code> daily to understand what changes are staged, unstaged, or untracked before committing code.

💼 Career

Knowing how to check the git repository state is essential for version control and collaboration in software development jobs.

1

Initialize a git repository

Run the command git init to create a new git repository in your current folder.

Git

# Run the command 'git init' in your terminal
# Your code here

Hint

This command sets up a new git repository in your current folder.

2

Create a new file and add some content

Create a file named example.txt and add the text Hello Git inside it.

Git

git init
# Create a file named 'example.txt' with content 'Hello Git'
# Your code here

Hint

You can use echo "Hello Git" > example.txt to create the file with content.

3

Check the current git status

Run the command git status to see the current state of your repository including untracked files.

Git

git init

echo "Hello Git" > example.txt
# Run 'git status' to see the current state
# Your code here

Hint

This command shows which files are untracked, modified, or staged.

4

View the output of git status

Observe the output of git status which should show example.txt as an untracked file.

Git

git init

echo "Hello Git" > example.txt

git status
# Observe the output above

Hint

The output lists untracked files like example.txt under 'Untracked files:'

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