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Restoring file contents

Reset your progress

To reset your progress to the start of this chapter, run the following command:

curl https://s2p2.github.io/jj-for-everyone/reset.sh | bash -s restore
cd ~/jj-tutorial/repo

If you accidentally delete a file and make other changes before realizing it, jj restore can help.

For instance, Alice deletes README.md and then modifies hello.py:

rm README.md
echo '    print("In soviet Russia, world greets you!")' >> hello.py
jj show

Commit ID: 79cda7b43c273bb0597b7888b2ff9d3afee4a568
Change ID: nwstlotvuwrnxrupxnplywqvkloupnxu
Author   : Alice <alice@local> (2025-08-31 16:15:13)
Committer: Alice <alice@local> (2025-08-31 16:15:13)

    (no description set)

Removed regular file README.md:
   1     : # jj-tutorial
   2     : 
   3     : The file hello.py contains a script that greets the world.
   4     : It can be executed with the command 'python hello.py'.
   5     : Programming is fun!
   6     : 
   7     : ## Submission
   8     : 
   9     : Run the following command to create the submission tarball:
  10     : 
  11     : ~~~sh
  12     : tar czf submission_alice_bob.tar.gz [FILE...]
  13     : ~~~
Modified regular file hello.py:
   1    1: for _ in range(10):
   2    2:     print("Hello, world!")
   3    3:     print("Hallo, Welt!")
   4    4:     print("Bonjour, le monde!")
        5:     print("In soviet Russia, world greets you!")

To restore just README.md without losing other changes, run:

jj restore README.md

Commit ID: f2922ddd5ad552e1e499b461b8ed900d047cea91
Change ID: nwstlotvuwrnxrupxnplywqvkloupnxu
Author   : Alice <alice@local> (2025-08-31 16:15:13)
Committer: Alice <alice@local> (2025-08-31 16:24:18)

    (no description set)

Modified regular file hello.py:
   1    1: for _ in range(10):
   2    2:     print("Hello, world!")
   3    3:     print("Hallo, Welt!")
   4    4:     print("Bonjour, le monde!")
        5:     print("In soviet Russia, world greets you!")

jj restore can also revert a file to its state in any commit using the --from flag. For example, to revert hello.py to a version with no translations:

jj restore --from 'description("Fix loop syntax")' hello.py

Commit ID: c72f36748528f6893316089590374efed90a4214
Change ID: nwstlotvuwrnxrupxnplywqvkloupnxu
Author   : Alice <alice@local> (2025-08-31 16:15:13)
Committer: Alice <alice@local> (2025-08-31 16:43:32)

    (no description set)

Modified regular file hello.py:
   1    1: for _ in range(10):
   2    2:     print("Hello, world!")
   3     :     print("Hallo, Welt!")
   4     :     print("Bonjour, le monde!")

After making changes, commit and push them:

jj commit -m "Remove translations"
jj bookmark move main --to @-
jj git push

You've completed Level 3 ! 🎉

You now have the skills to handle most version control problems. Here's a summary of what you've learned:

  • jj undo: Reverts your repository to a previous state, letting you experiment without fear.
  • jj bookmark track: Lets you work on bookmarks that only exist on the remote.
  • Merge Conflicts: Resolve by editing the marked files to combine the changes.
  • jj abandon: Deletes commits you no longer need.
  • jj restore: Restores file contents. By default, it reverts to the parent commit, but you can use --from to specify any commit.

You're now equipped for most daily tasks. The next level covers rewriting history—a powerful skill for creating a clean and professional commit history.

Feel free to practice these new skills before continuing. To learn more, explore commands with --help and consult the configuration guide.