Viewing commit history with git log - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to show the commit history in the terminal.

Git

git [1]

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

Astatus

Bpush

Ccommit

Dlog

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'git status' which shows current changes, not history.

Using 'git commit' which creates a new commit.

Using 'git push' which sends commits to a remote.

The git log command shows the commit history of the current branch.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to show a simplified one-line commit history.

Git

git log --[1]=oneline

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

Apretty

Bformat

Cone

Dshort

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '--format=oneline' which is incorrect syntax here.

Using '--one=oneline' which is not a valid option.

Using '--short=oneline' which does not exist.

The --pretty=oneline option shows each commit on a single line.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to show the last 3 commits.

Git

git log -n [1]

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

A-3

Bthree

C3

Dlast

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using words like 'three' instead of digits.

Using '-3' which is not the correct syntax here.

Using 'last' which is not recognized.

The -n option expects a number, so 3 is correct.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to show commit history with author and date.

Git

git log --[1]='format:%h - [2] - %ad'

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

Apretty

Bauthor

Cdate

Dformat

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'format' instead of 'pretty' for the first blank.

Using 'date' instead of 'author' for the second blank.

Confusing the placeholders with option names.

The --pretty option formats output; %h is short hash, %ad is date, and %an would be author but here author is used as a label.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to show commit history with graph, one line, and all branches.

Git

git log --[1] --[2] --[3]

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

Agraph

Boneline

Call

Ddecorate

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'decorate' instead of 'all' to show all branches.

Mixing up the order of options.

Using options that don't combine well.

--graph shows commit history as a graph, --oneline shows each commit in one line, and --all shows commits from all branches.

Practice

1. What does the git log command do in a Git repository?

easy

A. Deletes the last commit from the repository

B. Shows the history of commits made in the repository

C. Creates a new branch in the repository

D. Displays the current status of files in the repository

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of git log

   The git log command is used to view the commit history in a Git repository.

2. Step 2: Compare with other Git commands

   Other commands like git status show file status, and git branch manages branches, but git log specifically shows commits.

3. Final Answer:

   Shows the history of commits made in the repository -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   git log = commit history [OK]

Hint: Remember: log means history or record [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing git log with git status
• Thinking git log deletes commits
• Mixing git log with branch creation

2. Which of the following is the correct command to show a simplified one-line summary of each commit in Git?

easy

A. git log --oneline

B. git log --summary

C. git log --details

D. git log --short

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the option for one-line commit summary

   The --oneline option condenses each commit to a single line showing the commit hash and message.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Options like --summary, --details, and --short are not valid git log options for this purpose.

3. Final Answer:

   git log --oneline -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   --oneline = short commit list [OK]

Hint: Use --oneline for brief commit history [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent options like --summary
• Confusing --oneline with --short
• Forgetting the double dash before options

3. Given the command git log -2 --oneline, what will be the output?

medium

A. Shows the last two commits in a detailed multi-line format

B. Shows all commits except the last two

C. Shows the last two commits each summarized in one line

D. Shows the first two commits in the repository

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the -2 option

   The -2 option limits the output to the last two commits only.

2. Step 2: Understand the --oneline option

   The --oneline option shows each commit in a single line summary.

3. Final Answer:

   Shows the last two commits each summarized in one line -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   -2 + --oneline = last two commits short [OK]

Hint: Combine -n with --oneline for short recent commits [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking -2 shows first two commits
• Expecting detailed multi-line output with --oneline
• Confusing exclusion of commits with limiting output

4. You ran git log --oneline -p but got an error. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The options --oneline and -p cannot be used together

B. You need to specify a branch name with the command

C. You must run git fetch before using git log

D. The repository has no commits yet

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the options --oneline and -p

   --oneline shows a brief summary, while -p shows patch (diff) details.

2. Step 2: Check compatibility of options

   These two options conflict because one shows a short summary and the other shows detailed changes, so Git throws an error.

3. Final Answer:

   The options --oneline and -p cannot be used together -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   --oneline + -p conflict = error [OK]

Hint: Avoid combining --oneline with -p; they conflict [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming branch name is required for git log
• Thinking git fetch fixes git log errors
• Ignoring that empty repo causes no output, not error

5. You want to see the commit history with each commit showing the author, date, and a one-line message, all in a compact format. Which command should you use?

hard

A. git log --graph --decorate

B. git log --oneline --author-date-order

C. git log -p --stat

D. git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the requirement for custom format

   You want author, date, and message in one line, so a custom format with --pretty=format: is needed.

2. Step 2: Analyze the format string

   %h is short commit hash, %an is author name, %ar is relative date, and %s is commit message. This matches the requirement.

3. Step 3: Check other options

   --oneline --author-date-order does not show author or date explicitly. -p --stat shows diffs and stats, not compact. --graph --decorate shows branch graph and refs, not author/date/message in one line.

4. Final Answer:

   git log --pretty=format:"%h - %an, %ar : %s" -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Custom format = author, date, message [OK]

Hint: Use --pretty=format for custom commit info display [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using --oneline without author or date info
• Expecting -p to show summary info
• Confusing --graph with formatting output