Commit History Exercise

Goals

• Make multiple sequential commits with meaningful messages
• Use git log --oneline for a compact history view
• See how each commit captures a distinct snapshot
• Practice writing commit messages that describe the change

Prerequisites

• git init, add, and commit (the Create Repository Workflow project)

Steps

2. 1

   Set up the repository

   Create a new repository and make an initial commit with a README. This is the starting point you will build history on top of.

   CodeCopy

   mkdir history-exercise
   cd history-exercise
   git init
   echo "# History Exercise" > README.md
   git add .
   git commit -m "Initial commit with README"

   Expected result

   A repository with one commit in its history.

4. 2

   Add a second file and commit

   Create a new file, stage it, and commit with a message that describes what was added. Good messages say what and why, not just "update".

   CodeCopy

   echo "print('hello')" > hello.py
   git add hello.py
   git commit -m "Add hello.py greeting script"

   Expected result

   A second commit is added to the history.

   Show hint
6. 3

   Modify an existing file and commit

   Append a line to README.md, stage it, and commit. Modifying an existing file is just as common as adding new ones — the workflow is identical.

   CodeCopy

   echo "" >> README.md
   echo "## Files" >> README.md
   echo "- hello.py: prints a greeting" >> README.md
   git add README.md
   git commit -m "Document hello.py in README"

   Expected result

   A third commit records the README update.

8. 4

   Read the history

   Run git log --oneline for a compact one-line-per-commit view. Then run git log to see the full messages, authors, and timestamps. Reading history is how you understand a project's story.

   CodeCopy

   git log --oneline
   git log

   Expected result

   Three commits listed, most recent first, each with a clear message.

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