Git Change Commit Messages

You can change the commit message for the latest commit using the following command:

sh
git commit --amend -m "New commit message"

Important Notes:

• If you have not pushed the commit yet, this will simply update the commit message.

• If you have already pushed the commit, you will need to force push the changes:

  sh
  git push --force
  

  ⚠ Warning: Force pushing can rewrite history, which may cause issues if others have already pulled the commit.

Would you like instructions on modifying older commit messages as well?

To change commit messages for multiple commits, you can use interactive rebase. Here's how:

1. Start an interactive rebase for the last N commits:

   sh
   git rebase -i HEAD~N
   

   Replace N with the number of commits you want to edit. For example, to edit the last 3 commits, use HEAD~3.

2. This will open an editor showing a list of commits. You'll see something like this:

   pick abc123 Commit message 1
   pick def456 Commit message 2
   pick ghi789 Commit message 3
   

3. Change pick to reword for the commits whose messages you want to change:

   reword abc123 Commit message 1
   reword def456 Commit message 2
   pick ghi789 Commit message 3
   

4. Save and close the editor. Git will now pause at each commit marked for rewording and open the commit message for editing.

5. Edit each commit message as desired and save.

6. Once you've edited all the messages, Git will reapply the commits with the new messages.

7. If you've already pushed these commits, you'll need to force push:

   sh
   git push --force
   

   Again, be cautious when force pushing to avoid causing issues for others working on the same branch.

Let me know if you need further clarification or assistance!

To use a specific commit hash inside an interactive rebase (git rebase -i), you can specify the commit hash directly in place of HEAD~N. Here's how you can do it:

1. Start the interactive rebase using the commit hash:

   sh
   git rebase -i <commit-hash>^
   

   • Replace <commit-hash> with the hash of the commit you want to start from.
   • The ^ symbol means "the commit before the one you specified," so the rebase will include the commit you specify and all the ones after it.

   For example, if the commit hash is abc123, you would run:

   sh
   git rebase -i abc123^
   

2. This opens the interactive rebase editor. It will show the list of commits starting from the one you specified, and you can mark them with pick or reword to change commit messages as needed.

3. Make your changes, save, and close the editor as described earlier.

4. If you need to force-push after the rebase (if you've already pushed these commits), use:

   sh
   git push --force
   

This way, you're able to rebase from any arbitrary commit by providing its hash.