git status to see current state - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the git status command show?

It shows the current state of the working directory and staging area, including changes to be committed, untracked files, and files with changes not staged for commit.

beginner

What section in git status output lists files ready to be committed?

The section called "Changes to be committed" lists files that have been staged and are ready to be committed.

beginner

What does it mean if a file is listed under "Untracked files" in git status?

It means the file is new and Git is not tracking it yet. You need to add it with git add to start tracking.

beginner

How can git status help before committing changes?

It helps by showing which files are staged, unstaged, or untracked, so you know exactly what will be included in the next commit.

beginner

True or False: git status changes any files or commits anything.

False. git status only shows information. It does not change files or create commits.

What does git status NOT show?

A Untracked files

B The content of files

C Files staged for commit

D Changes not staged for commit

git status shows file states but does not display file contents.

If a file is modified but not staged, where does git status list it?

A Changes not staged for commit

B Untracked files

C Ignored files

D Changes to be committed

Modified but unstaged files appear under "Changes not staged for commit".

Which command would you use after git status to start tracking a new file?

A git clone

B git commit

C git push

D git add

git add stages new files for tracking.

What does it mean if git status shows "nothing to commit, working tree clean"?

A There are untracked files

B There are staged changes

C All changes are committed and no modifications exist

D Git is not initialized

This message means your working directory matches the last commit with no changes.

Which of these is a safe command to run anytime to check your current Git state?

A git status

B git reset --hard

C git clean -f

D git push --force

git status only shows info and does not change anything.

Explain what information git status provides about your project files.

Think about the different file states Git tracks.

Describe how you would use git status before making a commit.

Consider the steps before saving your changes permanently.

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