Here is a collection of hands-on exercises to complement the chapters in the Version Control Book. These exercises can be used flexibly throughout a course about Git but also when you are learning on your own.
You can view the exercises by clicking on the boxes in the individual sections that correspond to one of the chapters. Try to solve the exercises on your own first before looking at the solutions. Please note that the solutions do not always implement the tasks exactly, but can also use variations to show that different approaches are possible or so it works automatically. If you want to start each exercise with a clean repository, you can download the repository of the previous solution as a .zip file and start the exercises in this repository.
recipes or city-guide).recipes.txt or city-guide.txt).Code
1cd /path/to/your/chosen/directory/path/to/your/chosen/directory with a path on your computer. A good location might be within your /Documents folder or a dedicated /Projects or /University folder. This can help to easily find course-related files on your computer.
pwd to display the path of your current working directory.
mkdir to create a new subfolder and give it a name, within your chosen folder.
cd to navigate into the newly created subfolder.
touch to create a new file and name it appropriately.
ls to confirm that the files was created by listing the contents of the folder.
pwd to display the path of your current working directory.
mkdir to create a new subfolder and give it a name, within your chosen folder.
cd to navigate into the newly created subfolder.
touch to create a new file and name it appropriately.
ls to confirm that the files was created by listing the contents of the folder.
recipes folder using the command line.mainCode
cd recipes (or a similar path) to navigate into the recipes subfolder.
git config --global user.name "Your Name". Replace Your Name with your name and don’t remove the quotation marks.
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com". Replace your.email@example.com with your email address and don’t remove the quotation marks.
main using git config --global init.defaultBranch main.
git config --global core.editor "vim".
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git config user.name Your Name
+ git config user.email your.email@example.com
+ git config init.defaultBranch main
+ git config core.editor vim
+ git config --list --local
core.repositoryformatversion=0
core.filemode=true
core.bare=false
core.logallrefupdates=true
core.editor=vim
user.name=Your Name
user.email=your.email@example.com
init.defaultbranch=main
NArecipes folder using the command line.recipes folder.recipes.txt.recipes.txt (any favorite or an intriguing AI-generated one).recipes.txt file.recipes.txt with a descriptive commit message.🚀 Optional: Commit at least three additional changes in recipes.txt.
Code
#!/bin/bash
1cd recipes
2git init
3touch recipes.txt
4cat > recipes.txt <<- EOM
Pasta
1. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
2. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until it's "al dente".
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.
EOM
5git add recipes.txt
6git commit -m "Add pasta recipe to recipes.txt"recipes subfolder using cd recipes (or a similar path).
recipes folder using git init.
recipes.txt using touch. Note that you can also use a regular text editor to do this.
recipes.txt. In this example, cat is used to add text to recipes.txt. This command would also create the file if recipes.txt wouldn’t exist yet. Note that you can also use a regular text editor to do this.
recipes.txt file using git add.
recipes.txt with a descriptive commit message using git commit.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git init
Reinitialized existing Git repository in /home/runner/work/version-control-book/version-control-book/recipes/.git/
+ touch recipes.txt
+ cat
+ git add recipes.txt
+ git commit -m Add pasta recipe to recipes.txt
[main (root-commit) 1db4eb7] Add pasta recipe to recipes.txt
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 recipes.txtrecipes repository using cd recipes (or a similar path).recipes.txt file.For example, add a recipe without a title first, commit, then add a title and amend the previous commit to add the title change to the same commit.
Code
recipes repository using cd recipes (or a similar path).
recipes.txt file. In this example, echo is used to append text to recipes.txt. Note that you can also use a regular text editor to do this.
git add.
git commit --amend. In this example, the --no-edit flag is used to amend the commit without changing the commit message.
git log to verify that the last commit message has not changed. Here, we add the --oneline flag to show a concise summary of the past commits.
.gitignore filerecipes repository using cd recipes (or a similar path).image.jpg..gitignore file..gitignore file..gitignore file using a descriptive commit message..DS_Store.Code
#!/bin/bash
1cd recipes
2wget -nv -O pasta.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Rigatoni.jpg/320px-Rigatoni.jpg
3git status
4touch .gitignore
5echo "*.jpg" > .gitignore
6git status
7git add --all
8git commit -m "Add .gitignore and ignore all files that end with .jpg"
9echo ".DS_Store" >> .gitignore
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Ignore .DS_Store"recipes repository using cd recipes (or a similar path).
wget. This command download a picture of pasta from the internet and saves the output -O as pasta.jpg. The -nv (or --no-verbose) argument makes the command output less text.
git status. Git will notice the new file and list it as untracked.
.gitignore file using touch. Note that you can also use a regular text editor to do this.
*.jpg to the .gitignore file to ignore all files that end with the .jpg file extension. In this example, echo is used to append text to recipes.txt. Note that you can also use a regular text editor to do this. This command would also create the file if .gitignore wouldn’t exist yet.
git status. The new file should disappear from the output and is not listed as untracked anymore.
git add --all. This command should generally be avoided as it may lead to staging and committing changes that should not added to the repository’s history. Here, we use it to demonstrate that only the .gitignore will be staged but not the pasta image file because it is ignored.
.gitignore with a descriptive commit message using git commit.
.DS_Store to the .gitignore file to ignore it. Again, echo is used to append text to recipes.txt. Note that you can also use a regular text editor to do this. Stage and commit your changes using a descriptive commit message.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ wget -nv -O pasta.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Rigatoni.jpg/320px-Rigatoni.jpg
2024-10-21 10:58:07 URL:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Rigatoni.jpg/320px-Rigatoni.jpg [22640/22640] -> "pasta.jpg" [1]
+ git status
On branch main
Untracked files:
(use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
pasta.jpg
nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)
+ touch .gitignore
+ echo *.jpg
+ git status
On branch main
Untracked files:
(use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
.gitignore
nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)
+ git add --all
+ git commit -m Add .gitignore and ignore all files that end with .jpg
[main c559d90] Add .gitignore and ignore all files that end with .jpg
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 .gitignore
+ echo .DS_Store
+ git add .gitignore
+ git commit -m Ignore .DS_Store
[main 98f9b4d] Ignore .DS_Store
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)recipes repository using the command line.feature.recipes.txt file.recipes.txt file on the feature branch.recipes.txt to verify your changes.main or master).recipes.txt again to confirm that the previous changes do not exist on the default branch.feature branch into your default branch.feature branch.recipes.txt yet again to confirm that the previous changes have been merged into the default branch.Code
#!/bin/bash
1cd recipes
2git branch feature
3git switch feature
4cat >> recipes.txt <<- EOM
Potatoes
1. Wash the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized chunks.
2. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
3. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the potatoes.
4. Cook the potatoes for 15 - 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.
EOM
5git add recipes.txt
git commit -m "Add potatoes recipe to recipes.txt"
6cat recipes.txt
7git checkout main
8cat recipes.txt
9git merge feature
10git branch -d feature
11cat recipes.txtrecipes repository using cd (or a similar path).
feature using git branch feature.
git switch feature. You can also create and switch the branch in one step using git checkout -b feature.
recipes.txt file. You can use your regular text editor. Here, we add a new recipe from the command line using cat.
recipes.txt using git add and git commit.
recipes.txt to verify your changes. Here, we use the cat command again.
main in this example). Here, we use git checkout main but you can also use git switch main.
recipes.txt again to confirm that the previous changes do not exist on the main branch.
feature branch into the main branch.
feature branch using git branch -d feature.
recipes.txt yet again to confirm that the previous changes have been merged into the main branch.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git branch feature
+ git switch feature
Switched to branch 'feature'
+ cat
+ git add recipes.txt
+ git commit -m Add potatoes recipe to recipes.txt
[feature 7d91949] Add potatoes recipe to recipes.txt
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)
+ cat recipes.txt
Pasta
1. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
2. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until it's "al dente".
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.
6. Enjoy!
Potatoes
1. Wash the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized chunks.
2. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
3. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the potatoes.
4. Cook the potatoes for 15 - 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.
+ git checkout main
Switched to branch 'main'
+ cat recipes.txt
Pasta
1. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
2. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until it's "al dente".
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.
6. Enjoy!
+ git merge feature
Updating 98f9b4d..7d91949
Fast-forward
recipes.txt | 9 +++++++++
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)
+ git branch -d feature
Deleted branch feature (was 7d91949).
+ cat recipes.txt
Pasta
1. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
2. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until it's "al dente".
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.
6. Enjoy!
Potatoes
1. Wash the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized chunks.
2. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan.
3. Once the water is boiling, add a good pinch of salt.
3. Add the potatoes.
4. Cook the potatoes for 15 - 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
5. Drain the pasta in a colander.Code
#!/bin/bash
1cd recipes
2git branch feature
3git switch feature
4cat >> recipes.txt <<- EOM
Chocolate Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
EOM
5git add recipes.txt
git commit -m "Add chocolate cake recipe to recipes.txt"
6git checkout main
7cat >> recipes.txt <<- EOM
Vanilla Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
EOM
8git add recipes.txt
git commit -m "Add vanilla cake recipe to recipes.txt"
9git merge feature
10sed -i '' -e '/^<<<<<<< /d' -e '/^=======/d' -e '/^>>>>>>> /d' recipes.txt
11git add recipes.txt
12git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict by adding both chocolate and vanilla cake recipes"
13git branch -d featurerecipes repository using cd (or a similar path).
feature using git branch feature.
git switch feature. You can also create and switch the branch in one step using git checkout -b feature.
recipes.txt file using cat.
recipes.txt using git add and git commit.
main in this example) using git checkout main. You can also use git switch main.
main branch to recipes.txt using cat.
recipes.txt using git add and git commit.
feature branch with the default branch to create a merge conflict using git merge feature.
recipes.txt. You can use a regular text editor to do this. In this example, we remove the conflict markers that Git added to recipes.txt using sed which results in keeping both recipes. This is not a recommended way to resolve merge conflicts and we only do it here to resolve the merge conflict without manual intervention. Merge conflicts usually always require manual resolution by the user.
recipes.txt using git add.
recipes.txt with a descriptive commit message using git commit.
feature branch using git branch -d feature.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git branch feature
+ git switch feature
Switched to branch 'feature'
+ cat
+ git add recipes.txt
+ git commit -m Add chocolate cake recipe to recipes.txt
[feature 2585645] Add chocolate cake recipe to recipes.txt
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)
+ git checkout main
Switched to branch 'main'
+ cat
+ git add recipes.txt
+ git commit -m Add vanilla cake recipe to recipes.txt
[main 2a635a0] Add vanilla cake recipe to recipes.txt
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)
+ git merge feature
Auto-merging recipes.txt
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in recipes.txt
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.
+ sed -i -e /^<<<<<<< /d -e /^=======/d -e /^>>>>>>> /d recipes.txt
sed: can't read : No such file or directory
+ git add recipes.txt
+ git commit -m Resolve merge conflict by adding both chocolate and vanilla cake recipes
[main 4cbad5f] Resolve merge conflict by adding both chocolate and vanilla cake recipes
+ git branch -d feature
Deleted branch feature (was 2585645).Code
cat to print the contents of the SSH key to the command line. Copy the contents displayed in the Terminal to your clipboard.
repo scope. 1 .Click Generate token.git push), use your GitHub username as the username and the generated PAT as the password.recipes repository using the command line.main branch to your remote repository.Code
+ icon in the upper-right corner, then select New repository. (2) Name your repository. (3) Do not select Initialize this repository with a README. (4) Click Create repository.
recipes repository using cd (or a similar path).
git remote add origin <URL>. Remember to use the correct <URL> depending on whether you authentication method (typically SSH or PAT).
main branch to the remote repository using git push -u origin main.
README.mdREADME.md, add a brief description, and provide a commit message.README.md file to the repository.Add file, and select Create new file.README.md. Add a brief description of your project. Provide a descriptive commit message at the bottom.Commit new file button to save the README.md file to the repository.git pull origin main to pull the changes to your local repository.recipes repository.recipes.txt file.Code
#!/bin/bash
1# Add your exercise partner as a collaborator to your recipes repository
2cd ~
3git clone https://github.com/partner-username/partner-repo-name.git
4git checkout -b new-branch-name
5echo "New Recipe" >> recipes.txt
6git add recipes.txt
git commit -m "Add new recipe to recipes.txt"
7git push origin new-branch-name
8# Create a Pull / Merge Request.
9# Review the PR your partner made in your repository.
10# Merge the PR into your repository.recipes repository: (1) Go to your repository on GitHub. (2) Click on Settings. (2) Click on Manage access in the left sidebar. (3) Click Invite a collaborator and enter your partner’s GitHub username.
cd in the command line. Here, we cd into the user’s home directory (~).
git clone. Make sure that you not cloning into an existing repository.
recipes.txt file.
Compare & pull request for your branch. (3) Provide a title and description, then click Create pull request.
Pull requests tab. (3) Click on the PR made by your partner. (4) Review the changes and provide feedback.
Merge pull request button. (2) Click Confirm merge.
Code
#!/bin/bash
1cd /new/location/for/repo
2git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-repo-name.git /new/location/for/repo
3git checkout -b new-branch
echo "New Recipe" >> recipes.txt
git add recipes.txt
git commit -m "Add new recipe to recipes.txt"
4git push -u origin new-branch
5cd /original/location/for/repo
git fetch
git switch new-branch
6rm -rf /new/location/for/repocd in the command line.
recipes repository of another course participant: (1) Go to the GitHub repository you want to fork. (2) Click the Fork button at the top-right corner of the repository page. (3) Select your GitHub account to fork the repository.New issue. Provide a title and description for the Issue, suggesting a missing recipe. (3) Click Submit new issue.Create a pull request with your changes (from the forked to the original repo) and refer to the issue in your pull request:
Compare & pull request button.main.Fixes #issue-number in the description.Create pull request.recipes repository.recipes repository in the Git GUI.recipes repository in RStudio.recipes.txt or recipes.qmd file by adding or modifying a recipe.File -> New Project -> Version Control -> Git.recipes repository or choose the local path if already cloned.Create Project.recipes.txt or recipes.qmd file by adding or modifying a recipe:
recipes repository and open recipes.txt or recipes.qmd.File -> Save or press Ctrl + S.Git pane, usually located in the top-right or bottom-right corner.Commit.Commit again to finalize the commit.Push to upload your changes to the remote repository on GitHub.recipes repository using the command line.feature/stash-exercise.Code
recipes repository using cd (or a similar path).
feature/stash-exercise using git branch.
git switch. Alternatively, you could have also done the two last steps with one command using git checkout -b feature/stash-exercise.
echo command to append text to the end of recipes.txt.
git stash.
git status. Check that the output indeed indicates a clean working directory.
git stash apply.
tail -1 recipes.txt to print the last line of recipes.txt.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git branch feature/stash-exercise
+ git switch feature/stash-exercise
Switched to branch 'feature/stash-exercise'
+ echo This is yummy!
+ git stash
Saved working directory and index state WIP on feature/stash-exercise: 4cbad5f Resolve merge conflict by adding both chocolate and vanilla cake recipes
+ git status
On branch feature/stash-exercise
nothing to commit, working tree clean
+ git stash apply
On branch feature/stash-exercise
Changes not staged for commit:
(use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
(use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
modified: recipes.txt
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")
+ tail -1 recipes.txt
This is yummy!recipes repository using the command line.feature/revert-exercise.Code
recipes repository using cd (or a similar path).
feature/revert-exercise using git branch.
git switch. Alternatively, you could have also done the two last steps with one command using git checkout -b feature/revert-exercise.
echo command to append text to the end of recipes.txt.
git add <filename>.
git commit -m "Commit message".
git log. Here, we save the commit hash as variable and use this variable in the next step. Normally, you would just run git log and find the hash of the commit that you want to revert. (This code does this differently for automation) You can also use git log -1 to only see your most recent commit.
git revert <commithash>. This will open your editor where you can specify a commit message for the revert. If you use the --no-edit flag, Git will use a default commit message.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git branch feature/revert-exercise
+ git switch feature/revert-exercise
Switched to branch 'feature/revert-exercise'
M recipes.txt
+ echo This is delicious!
+ git add recipes.txt
+ git commit -m Add text
[feature/revert-exercise 077b42d] Add text
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)
+ git log -1 --format=%H
+ last_commit_hash=077b42d23b7bab1f6a6593a90b55c0767fba5840
+ git revert --no-edit 077b42d23b7bab1f6a6593a90b55c0767fba5840
[feature/revert-exercise 9bce140] Revert "Add text"
Date: Mon Oct 21 10:58:07 2024 +0000
1 file changed, 2 deletions(-)recipes repository using the command line.feature/rebase-exercise.feature/rebase-exercise branchfeature/rebase-exercise branch onto your main branch.feature/rebase-exercise are now on top of the commits from main.Code
#!/bin/bash
1cd recipes
2git branch feature/rebase-exercise
3git switch feature/rebase-exercise
4echo "New feature content" >> feature.txt
5git add feature.txt
6git commit -m "Add feature content"
7git switch main
8echo "Main branch content" >> main.txt
9git add main.txt
10git commit -m "Update main content"
11git switch feature/rebase-exercise
12git rebase main
13git switch main
14git log --onelinerecipes repository using cd (or a similar path).
feature/rebase-exercise using git branch.
git switch. Alternatively, you could have also done the two last steps with one command using git checkout -b feature/rebase-exercise.
"New feature content" to the file feature.txt.
git add <filename>.
git commit -m "commit message".
main branch using git switch.
"Main branch content" to a file named main.txt. This change simulates working on the main branch simultaneously.
git add <filename>.
git commit -m "commit message".
feature branch using git switch feature/rebase-exercise.
feature/rebase-exercise branch onto your main branch using git rebase main.
main branch using git switch main.
feature/rebase-exercise is now on top of the commits from main using git log.
Output
+ cd recipes
+ git branch feature/rebase-exercise
+ git switch feature/rebase-exercise
Switched to branch 'feature/rebase-exercise'
+ echo New feature content
+ git add feature.txt
+ git commit -m Add feature content
[feature/rebase-exercise 89e65b5] Add feature content
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 feature.txt
+ git switch main
Switched to branch 'main'
+ echo Main branch content
+ git add main.txt
+ git commit -m Update main content
[main 8eedce4] Update main content
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 main.txt
+ git switch feature/rebase-exercise
Switched to branch 'feature/rebase-exercise'
+ git rebase main
Rebasing (1/3)
Rebasing (2/3)
Rebasing (3/3)
Successfully rebased and updated refs/heads/feature/rebase-exercise.
+ git switch main
Switched to branch 'main'
+ git log --oneline
8eedce4 Update main content
4cbad5f Resolve merge conflict by adding both chocolate and vanilla cake recipes
2a635a0 Add vanilla cake recipe to recipes.txt
2585645 Add chocolate cake recipe to recipes.txt
7d91949 Add potatoes recipe to recipes.txt
98f9b4d Ignore .DS_Store
c559d90 Add .gitignore and ignore all files that end with .jpg
58dba0a Add pasta recipe to recipes.txt