Viewing commit history with git log - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Viewing commit history with git log

Start in Git repo

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Run 'git log'

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Git reads commit history

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Display commits one by one

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User scrolls or exits

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End

The flow shows how running 'git log' reads and displays commit history step-by-step until the user exits.

Execution Sample

Git

git log

# Shows commit history with commit ID, author, date, and message

This command lists commits in reverse chronological order with details.

Process Table

Step	Action	Evaluation	Result
1	Run 'git log'	Git reads commit history from HEAD backwards	Starts displaying latest commit details
2	Display commit #1	Show commit hash, author, date, message	Commit #1 info shown on screen
3	Display commit #2	Show commit hash, author, date, message	Commit #2 info shown below #1
4	Display commit #3	Show commit hash, author, date, message	Commit #3 info shown below #2
5	User scrolls or presses q	If user presses q, exit log view	Exit git log display
6	End	No more commits or user exited	Return to command prompt

💡 User exits by pressing 'q' or all commits displayed

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	Final
Displayed Commits Count	0	1	2	3	3
Current Commit Shown	None	Commit #1	Commit #2	Commit #3	None (after exit)

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does git log show commits starting from the newest?

Git log reads commits from HEAD backwards, so the newest commit is shown first as seen in steps 1 and 2 of the execution_table.

How do I exit the git log view?

You press 'q' to quit, which is shown in step 5 of the execution_table where the user exits the log display.

What information does each commit entry show?

Each commit shows the commit hash, author, date, and message as detailed in steps 2-4 of the execution_table.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is displayed at Step 3?

A Commit #1 details

B Commit #2 details

C Exit message

D No output

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column for Step 3 in the execution_table

At which step does the user exit the git log view?

A Step 2

B Step 4

C Step 5

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look for the step mentioning user pressing 'q' in the execution_table

If there were only two commits, how would the 'Displayed Commits Count' change after Step 4?

A It would be 2

B It would be 1

C It would be 3

D It would be 0

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker for how commit count increments per step

Concept Snapshot

git log
- Shows commit history starting from newest
- Displays commit ID, author, date, message
- Scroll to see older commits
- Press 'q' to exit log view
- Useful to track changes over time

Full Transcript

When you run 'git log' in a Git repository, Git reads the commit history starting from the newest commit (HEAD) backwards. It displays each commit's details including the commit ID, author, date, and message. You can scroll through the commits to see older ones. When you want to stop viewing, press 'q' to exit and return to the command prompt. This command helps you see the history of changes made to the project.