What is Git - Hands-On Activity

What is Git

📖 Scenario: You are starting a new project and want to keep track of your changes safely. Git helps you save different versions of your work so you can go back if needed.

🎯 Goal: Learn the basics of Git by creating a new Git repository, adding a file, and committing the changes.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a new Git repository

Add a file to the repository

Commit the file with a message

Check the commit history

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Developers use Git to keep track of changes in their code projects, so they never lose work and can collaborate easily.

💼 Career

Knowing Git is essential for software development jobs, as it is the most popular tool for version control and teamwork.

1

Initialize a Git repository

Type git init in your project folder to create a new Git repository.

Git

# Your code here

Hint

Use git init to start tracking your project with Git.

2

Create a file and add it to Git

Create a file named README.md with some text and then type git add README.md to add it to Git.

Git

git init
# Create README.md file and add it to Git
# Your code here

Hint

Use echo "text" > README.md to create the file and git add README.md to stage it.

3

Commit the changes

Type git commit -m "Initial commit" to save your changes with a message.

Git

git init

echo "This is my project" > README.md

git add README.md
# Commit the changes with message "Initial commit"
# Your code here

Hint

Use git commit -m "message" to save your staged changes with a note.

4

View the commit history

Type git log to see the list of commits you have made.

Git

git init

echo "This is my project" > README.md

git add README.md

git commit -m "Initial commit"
# View the commit history
# Your code here

Hint

Use git log to check your commit history and see your saved changes.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Git?

easy

A. To create websites from scratch

B. To edit images and videos

C. To save and track changes in files over time

D. To manage computer hardware settings

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Git's role

   Git is a tool designed to save and track changes in files, especially code files.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Options B, C, and D describe tasks unrelated to Git's main function.

3. Final Answer:

   To save and track changes in files over time -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Git = tracks file changes [OK]

Hint: Git tracks file changes, not edits or hardware [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Git with editing software
• Thinking Git manages hardware
• Believing Git builds websites

2. Which of the following is the correct command to start a new Git repository?

easy

A. git start

B. git init

C. git create

D. git begin

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Git commands

   The command to create a new Git repository is git init.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Commands like git start, git create, and git begin do not exist in Git.

3. Final Answer:

   git init -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Initialize repo = git init [OK]

Hint: Use 'git init' to start a repo, others are invalid [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'git start' instead of 'git init'
• Confusing command names
• Trying commands that don't exist

3. What will be the output of the command git status right after running git init in a new folder?

medium

A. No commits yet, nothing to commit, working tree clean

B. Error: repository not found

C. All files are staged for commit

D. Untracked files present, please add them

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand 'git init' effect

   Running git init creates an empty Git repository with no commits.

2. Step 2: Check 'git status' output

   Right after init, git status shows "No commits yet" and "working tree clean" because no files are added or changed.

3. Final Answer:

   No commits yet, nothing to commit, working tree clean -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   git status after init = no commits, clean [OK]

Hint: After init, status shows no commits and clean tree [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting errors after init
• Thinking files are staged automatically
• Assuming untracked files message appears immediately

4. You ran git add file.txt but forgot to commit. What will git status show?

medium

A. Changes to be committed: new file: file.txt

B. No changes detected

C. Untracked files: file.txt

D. Error: file.txt not found

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand 'git add' effect

   Running git add file.txt stages the file for commit but does not commit it yet.

2. Step 2: Check 'git status' after add

   git status will show the file under "Changes to be committed" because it is staged.

3. Final Answer:

   Changes to be committed: new file: file.txt -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   git add stages files, status shows staged changes [OK]

Hint: Added files show as staged, not committed yet [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking add commits files
• Expecting untracked files after add
• Assuming no changes after add

5. You want to save your changes permanently in Git. Which sequence of commands should you run?

hard

A. git init then git push

B. git commit -m "message" then git add .

C. git status then git push

D. git add . then git commit -m "message"

Solution

1. Step 1: Stage changes with 'git add'

   You first use git add . to stage all changes in the current folder.

2. Step 2: Commit staged changes

   Then run git commit -m "message" to save the staged changes permanently with a message.

3. Final Answer:

   git add . then git commit -m "message" -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Stage then commit = add then commit [OK]

Hint: Always add before commit to save changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Committing before adding files
• Using push without commit
• Initializing repo unnecessarily