Editing commit messages with rebase in Git - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What command starts an interactive rebase to edit commit messages?

Use git rebase -i HEAD~n where n is the number of commits you want to edit.

beginner

In an interactive rebase, how do you mark a commit to edit its message?

Change the word pick to reword next to the commit you want to edit.

beginner

What happens after you save and close the rebase todo list with reword commits?

Git opens an editor for each reword commit so you can change its message.

beginner

How do you finish the rebase after editing commit messages?

Save and close the commit message editor for each commit, then Git completes the rebase automatically.

intermediate

Why should you be careful when rebasing commits that are already shared with others?

Because rebasing rewrites history, it can cause problems for others who have the old commits.

Which command lets you edit the last 3 commit messages?

A git commit --amend

B git rebase -i HEAD~3

C git log -3

D git reset --soft HEAD~3

The command git rebase -i HEAD~3 opens an interactive rebase for the last 3 commits.

In the rebase todo list, which word should you replace pick with to change a commit message?

A reword

B fixup

C edit

D squash

Use reword to tell Git you want to change the commit message.

What does Git do after you save the rebase todo list with reword commits?

A Opens an editor for each commit message to be changed

B Deletes the commits

C Automatically merges commits

D Pushes changes to remote

Git opens the editor for each reword commit so you can edit the message.

What should you do after editing all commit messages during a rebase?

A Run git push --force

B Run git commit --amend

C Run git merge

D Save and close the editor to let Git finish the rebase

After editing messages, saving and closing the editor lets Git complete the rebase.

Why is it risky to rebase commits that others have already pulled?

A It deletes the remote repository

B It slows down Git performance

C It rewrites history, causing conflicts for others

D It automatically merges unrelated branches

Rebasing rewrites commit history, which can cause problems for collaborators who have the old commits.

Explain the steps to edit commit messages using interactive rebase.

Think about how you tell Git which commits to change and how you update messages.

Why should you avoid rebasing commits that have been pushed to a shared repository?

Consider what happens when history changes after sharing.