HW2 - Git Troubleshooting Lab

Welcome to your Git Troubleshooting Lab. This document provides guidance on how to investigate and fix common issues in this intentionally broken Git repository.

General Workflow

Before doing anything, always:

git status
git log --oneline --graph --all
git reflog

These commands help you understand:

• Your current state (e.g., merge conflict, detached HEAD)
• Commit history and branches
• Detached commits and previous states

Task 1: Recover a Deleted File

Problem

important_data.txt has been deleted.

What to Try

# Find the commit where the file existed
git log -- important_data.txt

# Restore it from an earlier commit
git checkout <commit-hash> -- important_data.txt

# OR, if you know the relative history
git restore --source=HEAD~3 important_data.txt

Task 2: Resolve Merge Conflict

Problem

You are mid-merge and student_code.py has conflicts.

What to Try

# See the problem
git status

# Open the conflicted file and resolve the conflict
# Then stage the resolved file
git add student_code.py

# Commit the merge
git commit

Task 3: Fix Detached HEAD

Problem

Some commits were made in a detached HEAD state and are not on any branch.

What to Try

# Inspect your reflog
git reflog

# Look for commits not on any branch
git branch dangling-commits <detached-commit-hash>

# Checkout or cherry-pick to rescue
git checkout main
git cherry-pick <detached-commit-hash>

Task 4: Rewrite Bad Commit Messages

Problem

Some commits say things like "WIP", "asdf", "temp".

What to Try

# Reword the last few commits (if safe)
git rebase -i HEAD~5

# Change 'pick' to 'reword' for relevant commits
# Write better messages

Task 5: Clean Up the Repo

Problem

There are leftover branches and messy state.

What to Try

# See all branches
git branch -a

# Delete unneeded branches
git branch -d feature-branch

# Final check
git status
git log --oneline --graph --all

Pro Tips

• Commit often with clear messages
• Don’t panic. Git lets you recover most things
• Ask for help if you're stuck!

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Deliverables

You’ll need to write a report explaining:

• What you found
• What you fixed
• What you learned

Take screenshots or copy terminal output to show your process.