Git Deep Dive: 02 - Revisiting the Basic Workflow

The 'working area' is the directory on your computer where you edit files directly.

The 'index' is a staging area where you temporarily store changes you plan to commit.

The 'repository' is the central location where all your project's revisions and history are stored.

The git add command copies changes from the working area to the index.

The git commit command permanently saves changes from the index to the repository.

The sequence of changes in the repository can be viewed as moving data from left to right: working area -> index -> repository.

A clean status in Git means all changes are committed, and there are no pending changes to be saved.

The git diff command compares files in the working area or index to identify changes.

The command used to move changes from the working area to the index.

The command used to permanently save changes from the index to the repository.

The command used to switch between branches in the repository.

The command used to move to a specific (possibly unbranched) commit.

The process of moving data from working area to the index to the repository is a unidirectional flow.

The command used to view differences between files.

The process of removing a file from the index.

The command used to remove files from both the working area and the index.

The file is in the working area but not in the index or repository.

The file is in the index and working area, but not in the repository, signifying a new addition.

A warning message displayed by Git when a file is removed from the working area and index.

The process of changing the HEAD pointer in the repository.

The process of copying data from the repository to the working area and index.

The process of removing a file from the index while keeping it in the working area.

The "remove" command in Git, without any arguments, affects both the working area and the index, deleting the file from both. This changes both the local version and the staging area.

Use the "‑‑cached" flag with "remove" to only remove the file from the staging area (index). This leaves the file in the working area.

The "add" command in Git only modifies the index. It doesn't actually affect the repository. If you want to permanently save changes, you need to "commit" after "adding" to the index.

The "remove" command in Git, without the "‑‑cached" flag, is the opposite of "add" because it affects both the index and the working area. In contrast, "add" only affects the index.

The "remove" command in Git, with the "‑‑cached" flag, is the opposite of "add" because it only affects the index. The "add" command also only affects the index. They are opposites when considering their effect on the index.

Git automatically recognizes that you've renamed or moved a file even if you change some of its content. This saves you from having to explicitly tell Git about the changes.

Renaming a file in Git essentially means moving it to a new location (within the same directory) with a different name.

"Git mv" is a convenience command that combines the steps of renaming/moving a file in the working area and updating the index into a single action.

The "git mv" command is a convenience command. It does the same thing as renaming/moving in your working area and then adding it to the index, only it does it in one step.

In Git, you don't necessarily need to use the "mv" command for renaming/moving files. Git can detect these changes automatically when you "commit", making the command mostly optional.

Git is smart enough to recognize when a file has been renamed or moved, even if the content has also changed. It looks for similar content to determine if it's the same file.

If you change a file significantly, Git may not recognize it as the same file even if you rename it. This is a rare case where manual action to explain the changes might be needed.

The "checkout" command in Git copies data from the repository to both the working area and the index because it updates the local version to match the repository.

The "switch" command in Git accomplishes the same thing as the "checkout" command. Both copy data from the repository to the working area and the index, but "switch" is a more focused command for switching between branches.

The "commit" command in Git copies data from the index (staging area) to the repository, permanently saving the changes in your project's history.