Chapter 1 — Git Basics — Solutions

do the assignment first. reading the answer is not the same as doing it, and u will feel like u learned it when u didn’t.

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# 1
mkdir practice-git
cd practice-git
git init
 
# 2
ls -a          # the .git folder is the whole repo
 
# 3
echo "my first note" > notes.md
git status
# it is UNTRACKED. git can see it, but is not watching it.
 
# 4
git add notes.md
git status
# it moved from "Untracked files" to "Changes to be committed".
# it is STAGED now, sitting in the waiting room. still not saved.
 
# 5
git commit -m "add notes.md with the first note"
 
# 6
git status
# On branch main
# nothing to commit, working tree clean
 
# 7
echo "one" > one.md
echo "two" > two.md
git add one.md
git commit -m "add one.md"
git status -s
# ?? two.md      <- still untracked, the commit did not touch it
 
# 8
git add two.md
git commit -m "add two.md"
git log --oneline
 
# 9
echo "a second line" >> notes.md
git commit -am "add a second line to notes.md"
 
# 10
git log

output of 10:

commit 8c1f0a2e3d5b7a9c4f6e8d0b2a4c6e8f0a2c4e6d (HEAD -> main)
Author: mohamedattiadev <youremail@example.com>
Date:   Fri Aug 28 15:12:03 2026 +0300

    add a second line to notes.md

• git got the name and the email from the config u set with git config --global in section 6. it is stored in ~/.gitconfig, and that is the whole of Chapter 2.
• in step 9, -am worked only because notes.md was already tracked. if u try the same thing on a brand new file, nothing happens, it stays untracked.
• in step 7, notice that committing one.md did not touch two.md at all. that is the point of the staging area: u choose what goes in.

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