Understanding and Using Git Commit Command

When working with Git, commit command is one of the most frequently used commands. Commit is a way to save your changes to the local repository. This article will provide a detailed understanding of Git commit command, its various parameters, and how to use them effectively.

Git Commit Basics

To begin, let’s start with the basic command to create a new commit:

$ git commit -m "Commit message"

The -m option is used to include a brief commit message explaining the changes made in this commit. It is recommended to write descriptive commit messages to better track changes and make collaboration easier.

Once the commit is made, it creates a new snapshot of the repository that includes all the files and changes made in the repository at that point. It is the only way to save changes in Git.

Adding Files to the Commit

Before committing your changes, it is essential to ensure that all the required files are added to the commit. The Git add command is used to add necessary files to the staging area. Once the files are added, the commit can be made.

The following command is used to add all the changes in the working directory to the staging area:

$ git add .

If you want to add a particular file, you can use the following command:

$ git add <filename>

Committing Changes to Different Branches

When developing collaboratively, it is essential to commit changes to the correct branch. To create a new branch, the following command is used:

$ git branch <branch-name>

To change to a particular branch, the following command is used:

$ git checkout <branch-name>

To commit changes to the current branch, follow the usual commit command:

$ git commit -m "Commit message"

Amending Previous Commit

After a commit is made, if you realize that the commit message is incorrect or some files were missed, you can amend the previous commit.

$ git commit --amend -m "New commit message"

This command allows you to modify the previous commit message or add files to the previous commit. The new changes will be added to the previous commit, and it will be updated.

Committing with a Specific Date

Adding a specific date to a commit can be useful when you need to make a commit with an old date. The Git commit command allows specifying the commit date with the following command:

$ GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS TZ" GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS TZ" git commit -m "Commit message"

In the above command, replace "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS TZ" with the desired date and time. The TZ is the timezone.

Committing Partial Changes

The Git commit command lets you commit only a particular part of the changes made in the file using the following command:

$ git add -p <filename>

The above command adds the file to the staging area and presents the changes made to the file interactively. It allows you to add or discard the changes as required.

Summary of Git Commit Command Usage

Below is a summary of the Git commit command usage:

• git commit -m "Commit message": Create a new commit with a commit message.
• git add .: Add all the files to the staging area.
• git add <filename>: Add a specific file to the staging area.
• git branch <branch-name>: Create a new branch.
• git checkout <branch-name>: Change to a specific branch.
• git commit --amend -m "New commit message": Amend the previous commit message.
• GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS TZ" GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS TZ" git commit -m "Commit message": Create a commit with a specific date.
• git add -p <filename>: Commit partial changes made to a file.

Conclusion

The Git commit command is an essential command that is used in almost every Git workflow. By using the different options available with commit, you can make your development process more efficient, error-free, and better organized. I hope this article provided you with a better understanding of Git commit command and its usage.