reflog or undo

Overview §

This tutorial will help you understand how to use Git’s powerful reflog feature and Lazygit’s undo capabilities. git reflog is often described as a magic time machine in Git. It’s a lifesaver when you’ve made changes that you regret or want to revert. We’ll also cover how to do similar actions in Lazygit, a simple terminal UI for Git commands.

Lazygit §

Undoing Actions in Lazygit §

1. Undo the Last Action:
   • In Lazygit, you can undo the last action by pressing z.
   • To redo an undone action, press Ctrl+z.
   • Note: This undo functionality is limited to commits and branch changes. It does not affect working tree changes or stashed items.
   • Here’s a visual demonstration: Undo Demo.

Using the Reflog Tab §

2. Accessing the Reflog Tab:

   • Switch to the reflog tab in Lazygit by pressing ].
   • This tab shows a list of recent Git actions, similar to what you see in the commits panel.

3. Restoring an Older Version:

   • Navigate through the list using the ↓ and ↑ keys.
   • To restore an older version of your project, select the desired entry and press the space key.
   • This action is akin to performing a git reset to a specific state from the reflog.

Basic Terminal §

Understanding git reflog §

1. Viewing the Reflog:

   • Run git reflog in your terminal.
   • This command displays a list of recent actions in Git across all branches, each with a unique index HEAD@{index}.
   • Example output:

     f5816a18 HEAD@{2}: rebase -i (start)
     791a1f1b HEAD@{3}: commit
     819d66fc HEAD@{4}: checkout
     

   • Identify the state you want to revert to.

2. Using the Reflog to Undo Changes:

   • To revert to a specific state, use git reset. You can specify either the commit hash or the HEAD@{index}.
   • For example:

     git reset --hard 791a1f1b
     # or
     git reset --hard HEAD@{3}
     

   • This action will reset your project to the state it was in at the specified point in the reflog.

Practical Applications §

3. Common Use Cases:
   • Recover lost commits or branches.
   • Undo a problematic rebase, merge, or other Git operations.
   • Rollback to a point before an error was introduced.

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Remember, while git reflog is powerful, it should be used with caution, especially with commands like git reset --hard, as they can alter your project history. Always make sure you’re reverting to the correct state to avoid unintended data loss.