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kofi amoussou
Courses Plus Student 7,381 Pointswhats the difference between git commit -a -m and git commit -m cant seem to wrap my head around it
whats the difference between git commit -a -m and git commit -m cant seem to wrap my head around it. i thought git commit -a was to commit all changes but in the task challenge i sometimes get an error when using the first and it accepts the latter
1 Answer
Nejc Vukovic
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 51,574 PointsHi there kofi.
Well the short way to explain: if you use git commit -a than automatic staging is made so that you don't need to use git add before committing. Initial add must be made so that you initialize file tracking but then you just commit the changes.
If you add a new file into the repo than you have to use git add to start tracking the file and then you can use the -a flag when committing.
Check this LINK to get the full info about the flag.
The -m flag is used like this: git commit -m "Message" <- which means you are writing a comment on the command line using double quotes string
If you omit the -m flag a text editor will open and ask you to add a comment.
Just try with and without the -m flag to see the difference.
Happy Coding!!!