feat: add understanding for diffs

This commit is contained in:
Bjarke Sporring
2026-01-05 13:34:59 +01:00
parent dc94520b2a
commit d7c146975d
2 changed files with 110 additions and 0 deletions

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@@ -94,6 +94,14 @@ git diff <commit1> <commit2> <file>
```
Compare changes to a specific file between two commits.
**Understanding diff output:**
- Lines with `+` (green) = added
- Lines with `-` (red) = removed
- Lines with ` ` (space) = unchanged (context)
- `@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@` = location of changes (old line/count, new line/count)
For a detailed guide on reading diff output, see Module 02 README.md.
### Branching
```bash

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@@ -49,6 +49,108 @@ The setup script will create an `answers.md` file in the challenge directory wit
- **Commit Message**: A description of what changed in that commit, written by the author.
- **Commit History**: The chronological record of all changes made to a repository.
- **HEAD**: A pointer to the current commit you're working from.
- **Diff**: A view showing the differences between two versions of files.
## Understanding Diff Output
When you run `git diff` between commits, the output can look confusing at first. Here's how to read it:
### Example Diff Output
```diff
diff --git a/app.py b/app.py
index 1a2b3c4..5d6e7f8 100644
--- a/app.py
+++ b/app.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
# app.py - Main application file
+from auth import login, logout
def main():
print("Welcome to My App!")
- # Application initialization code here
+ login("user", "password")
pass
```
### Breaking It Down
**1. File Header**
```diff
diff --git a/app.py b/app.py
```
- Shows which file is being compared
- `a/app.py` = old version (before)
- `b/app.py` = new version (after)
**2. Metadata**
```diff
index 1a2b3c4..5d6e7f8 100644
--- a/app.py
+++ b/app.py
```
- `---` indicates the old version
- `+++` indicates the new version
- The hashes (1a2b3c4, 5d6e7f8) are internal Git identifiers
**3. Change Location (Hunk Header)**
```diff
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
```
- `@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@` tells you where changes occurred
- `-1,5` = in the old file, starting at line 1, showing 5 lines
- `+1,7` = in the new file, starting at line 1, showing 7 lines
- The file grew by 2 lines (from 5 to 7)
**4. The Actual Changes**
Lines are prefixed with symbols:
- ` ` (space) = unchanged line (context)
- `-` (minus) = line removed from old version (shown in red in terminal)
- `+` (plus) = line added in new version (shown in green in terminal)
In our example:
```diff
# app.py - Main application file ← unchanged
+from auth import login, logout ← added (new)
def main(): ← unchanged
print("Welcome to My App!") ← unchanged
- # Application initialization code here ← removed (old)
+ login("user", "password") ← added (new)
pass ← unchanged
```
### Reading Multiple Files
If multiple files changed, you'll see multiple diff sections:
```diff
diff --git a/app.py b/app.py
[changes to app.py]
diff --git a/auth.py b/auth.py
[changes to auth.py]
```
### Pro Tips
- **Context lines**: Unchanged lines around changes help you understand where the change happened
- **Color coding**: In your terminal, deletions are usually red, additions are green
- **No newline warning**: If you see `\ No newline at end of file`, it means the file doesn't end with a newline character (usually not important for beginners)
- **Binary files**: For images or other binary files, Git just says "Binary files differ"
### Try It Yourself
In this module's challenge, you'll use:
```bash
git diff <commit1> <commit2> app.py
```
Pay attention to:
- Which lines were added (green, with `+`)
- Which lines were removed (red, with `-`)
- The surrounding context (white, with space)
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