# git add, commit & status

## Goal
Learn to stage changes, commit them, and inspect repository status.

## Start with Untracked Changes
```bash
cd ~/lab-git-essentials/my-first-repo
echo "Some notes" > notes.txt
git status
```

## Stage Files
```bash
git add README.md notes.txt
git status
```

## Commit with a Message
```bash
git commit -m "Add README and notes"
git status
```

## Make and Review Further Changes
```bash
echo "Another line" >> notes.txt
git status
git add -p notes.txt   # interactively stage hunks (optional)
git commit -m "Update notes with another line"
```

## Good Commit Messages
- Subject line in imperative mood (<= 50 chars)
- Optional body explaining the why (wrap ~72 columns)

## Outcome
You can stage, commit, and check status confidently.