Git Essentials

Understanding the Staging Area

As a quick recap, the staging area, also known as the index, is where changes are prepared before committing them to the Git repository. Traditionally, developers add changes to the staging area using the git add command before committing. However, there are scenarios where you might want to skip this step for a more efficient workflow.

Direct Commits

The -a flag with the git commit command allows you to skip the staging area entirely. When you run git commit -a, Git automatically stages and commits all tracked files that have been modified or deleted.

Note

Since new files are untracked, git commit -a won't commit them.

This can be a time-saving option when you want to commit all changes at once without going through the two-step process of staging and committing.

Let’s now modify our test.txt file via appending a new line to it using the echo command:

Afterward, let's check the status of our working tree and staging area:

The changes are not staged yet, however, we can skip the staging area and commit this change directly by running the following command:

As you can see, our commit is indeed successful.

Pros and Cons

While skipping the staging area can be convenient, it's crucial to understand the trade-offs. Direct commits may lead to unintentional inclusions of changes, especially if you forget to review your modifications. However, with practice, you can harness these advanced techniques to boost your Git efficiency.

Suppose we have just created a new file in our repository, which is currently UNTRACKED by Git, and we want commit it. How can we commit this file using only one command?

Select the correct answer

git commit -a -m "Add a new file"

git commit -m "Add a new file"

git add commit -m "Add a new file"

It is impossible, you should first run the git add command followed by the git commit command.

Submit Answer