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Vigneshwaralingam
Vigneshwaralingam

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🔥 Git Branching Explained: What Happens When You Create Files Before vs. After Switching a Branch? 🚀

#webdev #payilagam

Here is the vlog.

🔥 Git Cases for Vlog (Before = Branch First, After = File First) 🔥

📝 Case 1: File Created in main, Then Switch to new-branch (Untracked File)

  • Before: Branch created first → File created later.
  • After: File created first → Branch created later.

🟢 Case Before (Branch First, Then File) 

git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch  # Create branch first
echo "Hello from Main" > file1.txt  # File created in new-branch
ls  # file1.txt exists ✅
git checkout main
ls  # file1.txt NOT present in main ❌
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✅ Result: File exists only in new-branch.

🔵 Case After (File First, Then Branch) 

git checkout main
echo "Hello from Main" > file1.txt  # File created first
git checkout -b new-branch  # Now create branch
ls  # file1.txt exists ✅
git checkout main
ls  # file1.txt exists ✅
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✅ Result: File exists in both main and new-branch.

📝 Case 2: File Created, Then git add . in main, Then Switch to new-branch

  • Before: Branch created first → File created and staged later.
  • After: File created and staged first → Then branch is created.

🟢 Case Before 

git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch
echo "Content for Case 2" > file2.txt
git add .
git checkout main  # Switch back to main
ls  # file2.txt NOT present ❌
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✅ Result: File exists only in new-branch.

🔵 Case After 

git checkout main
echo "Content for Case 2" > file2.txt
git add .
git checkout -b new-branch
ls  # file2.txt exists ✅
git checkout main
ls  # file2.txt exists ✅
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✅ Result: File exists in both branches.

📝 Case 3: File Created, git add ., git commit -m in main, Then Switch to new-branch

  • Before: Branch created first → File committed later.
  • After: File committed first → Then branch is created.

🟢 Case Before 

git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch
echo "Committed file" > file3.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Added file3.txt in new-branch"
git checkout main
ls  # file3.txt NOT present ❌
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✅ Result: File is only in new-branch.

🔵 Case After 

git checkout main
echo "Committed file" > file3.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Added file3.txt in main"
git checkout -b new-branch
ls  # file3.txt exists ✅
git checkout main
ls  # file3.txt exists ✅
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✅ Result: File exists in both branches.

📝 Case 4: File Created in main, Then Switch to new-branch, Then git add . and git commit -m

  • Before: Branch created first → File committed later in new-branch.
  • After: File created in main first → Switched to new branch, then committed.

🟢 Case Before 

git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch
echo "This is Case 4" > file4.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file4.txt in new-branch"
git checkout main
ls  # file4.txt NOT present ❌
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✅ Result: File exists only in new-branch.

🔵 Case After 

git checkout main
echo "This is Case 4" > file4.txt
git checkout -b new-branch
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file4.txt in new-branch"
ls  # file4.txt exists ✅
git checkout main
ls  # file4.txt exists ✅
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✅ Result: File exists in both branches.

📝 Case 5: File Created in main, git add ., Switch to new-branch, Then git commit -m

  • Before: Branch created first → Then file added and committed.
  • After: File created and added first → Switched branch → Then committed.

🟢 Case Before 

git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch
echo "This is Case 5" > file5.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file5.txt in new-branch"
git checkout main
ls  # file5.txt NOT present ❌
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✅ Result: File exists only in new-branch.

🔵 Case After 

git checkout main
echo "This is Case 5" > file5.txt
git add .
git checkout -b new-branch
git commit -m "Committed file5.txt in new-branch"
ls  # file5.txt exists ✅
git checkout main
ls  # file5.txt exists ✅
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✅ Result: File exists in both branches.

📝 Case 6: File Created in main, git add ., git commit -m, Then Switch to new-branch and Add Another File

  • Before: Branch created first → Then file added and committed in new-branch.
  • After: File added and committed first in main → Then switched to new-branch and added a new file.

🟢 Case Before 

git checkout main
git checkout -b new-branch
echo "First file" > file6.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file6.txt in new-branch"
echo "Second file" > file7.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file7.txt in new-branch"
git checkout main
ls  # file6.txt and file7.txt NOT present ❌
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✅ Result: Both files exist only in new-branch.

🔵 Case After 

git checkout main
echo "First file" > file6.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file6.txt in main"
git checkout -b new-branch
echo "Second file" > file7.txt
git add .
git commit -m "Committed file7.txt in new-branch"
ls  # file6.txt and file7.txt exist ✅
git checkout main
ls  # Only file6.txt exists ✅
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✅ Result:

  • file6.txt exists in both branches.
  • file7.txt exists only in new-branch.

Key Takeaways

  1. If a file is unstaged and uncommitted, it stays only in the working directory.
  2. If a file is staged but uncommitted, it can cause checkout errors.
  3. If a file is committed in one branch, it will not appear in another branch unless merged.

🚀 Final Notes:

Case When was the branch created? When was the file created? Where is the file available?
Case Before Before file creation File created after switching to new-branch ✅ Only in new-branch
Case After After file creation File created before switching to new-branch and committed ✅ Available in both branches

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