Basic Git Workflow - Add, Commit, Status

What You'll Learn:

• The three-stage Git architecture

• How to effectively use git add and commit

• Monitoring project status

Detailed Explanation:

The Three Trees of Git

1. Working Directory - Your actual files

2. Staging Area (Index) - Prepared changes

3. Repository (History) - Committed snapshots

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Check Current Status

git status
# Shows:
# - Untracked files (new files)
# - Modified files (changed files)
# - Staged files (ready to commit)

2. Stage Changes

# Different ways to add files:
git add filename.txt           # Specific file
git add src/                   # Directory
git add *.js                   # Pattern matching
git add .                      # All changes
git add -A                     # All changes (including deletions)

# Interactive staging
git add -p                     # Review changes piece by piece

3. Review Staged Changes

git status                     # See what's staged
git diff --staged              # See exact changes that will be committed

4. Commit Changes

# Basic commit
git commit -m "Descriptive commit message"

# Good commit message structure:
# Short summary (50 chars or less)
#
# More detailed explanation if needed
# - What changed
# - Why it changed
# - Any relevant context

# Examples:
git commit -m "Fix user login validation"
git commit -m "Add user profile page component"

5. View Results

git log --oneline              # Compact history view
git show                       # Latest commit details

Common Workflow Patterns

Quick Feature Implementation:

# Make changes to files...
git add .
git commit -m "Implement user authentication"
git log -1                    # Show last commit

Partial Staging:

# When you have multiple changes but want separate commits
git add file1.txt             # Only stage specific files
git commit -m "Add feature A"
git add file2.txt
git commit -m "Add feature B"

Best Practices

• Commit often, in logical chunks

• Write clear, descriptive commit messages

• Review changes before committing

• Use git status frequently