Staging and Committing

Git lets you choose exactly what goes into each commit. That control is what makes history readable.

Stage Changes

Add specific files rather than everything when the changes are unrelated.

git add index.html
git add css/

# Stage every change
git add .

# Stage part of a file
git add -p styles.css

Commit

Write the message in the imperative mood: "Add login form", not "Added login form". The subject line should fit in about 50 characters.

git commit -m "Add login form validation"

Review First

Use git diff --staged to see exactly what will be committed. This catches debug lines and secrets before they enter history.

git diff --staged

Practice

1. Make two unrelated changes and commit them separately.
2. Review a staged diff before committing.
3. Rewrite a vague commit message into a clear one.

Hands-on exercise

Create a repository with two files.
1. Change the first file and commit it with a clear message.
2. Change the second file and commit it separately.
3. Run git log --oneline and confirm there are two commits.

Recap

Stage deliberately, review the diff and write messages that explain the reason for the change.