This lesson's interactive features are locked, please to keep using them

How to Squash

Perhaps confusingly, squashing is done with the git rebase command! Here are the steps to squash the last n commits:

Start an interactive rebase with the command git rebase -i HEAD~n, where n is the number of commits you want to squash.
Git will open your default editor with a list of commits. Change the word pick to squash for all but the first commit.
Save and close the editor.

The -i flag stands for "interactive," and it allows us to edit the commit history before Git applies the changes. HEAD~n is how we reference the last n commits. HEAD points to the current commit (as long as we're in a clean state) and ~n means "n commits before HEAD."

Squash the Last 3 Commits

Switch a commit to squash and watch it fold into the commit before it.

HEAD~3

redact customer leak

fix typos

HEAD

clean formatting

git rebase -i HEAD~3

Click a line to switch it between pick and squash.

Every line is pick, so rebase replays J, K, and L as separate commits on top of I.

Why Does Rebase Squash?

Remember, rebase is all about replaying changes. When we rebase onto a specific commit (HEAD~n), we're telling Git to replay all the changes from the current branch on top of that commit. Then we use the interactive flag to "squash" those changes so that Rebase will apply them all in a single commit.

Assignment

MegaCorp executives do not like your last few commits. As a result, your manager has told you to squash your last 3 commits (J, L, and K) into a new single commit with the message J: redacted.

Squashing is a destructive operation, which is why you've decided to make the change on temp_main before moving it to main.

While on temp_main, squash J-L-K into a single commit.
Don't forget to change pick to squash for all but commit J.
Your editor should open, so you can change the commit message. Use the commit message J: redacted and remove all other text from the message.

Run and submit the CLI tests.