Git4n00bs

A swift intro to Git and GitHub for noobs. Contributions welcome!

Getting started

1. install Git.
2. Make a GitHub account.
3. Open a terminal! Git is best utilized on the command line.

Pre-reqs

When this spits out a version number:

$ git --version

and you have an account on GitHub, we're good to go.

Configure git

$ git config --global user.name <your_name>
$ git config --global user.email <your_email>

The global tag means these will be used by default in all of your local respositories. When you are in a git repository, there will be a local config which can be accessed by replacing --global with --local.

To list all your global git config values

$ git config --global -l

Git makes it easy to collaborate on software projects, like this one!

Fork this repository

In the top-right corner of the page, click Fork.

This creates a copy of this repository on your GitHub account.

Clone your forked repository

We need to make a local copy of this repository on your computer.

$ git clone <repo_URL>

n00b tip: repo_URL can be found from the Clone or download button on the top right of the GitHub page.

Navigate to the newly created directory.

$ cd git4noobs
$ git status
On branch master
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/master'.
nothing to commit, working directory clean

You will see the github url for the repo in the local config values as remote.origin

$ git config --local -l

Make a new branch

When you want to start making changes, you make a branch. This will leave the code in the master branch (conventional name for the main/production-ready branch) and all your changes will be isolated to your newly created branch.

To list your repository's branches:

$ git branch
* master

Create a new branch:

$ git branch my-branch

and then go to it

$ git checkout my-branch

The two lines above can be shortcutted with:

$ git checkout -b my-branch

You should now see your newly created branch in the list.

$ git branch
  master
* my-branch

Edit this README

Time to make some changes to commit.

Open README.md in your favourite editor.

Every repository should have a README file. It's what's displayed on the repo's GitHub page. This README is a markdown file, which has an easy to use syntax for making your README look good.

Add your gitHub username to the Contribuots list at the end of this document and save. (or really, make any edit you want to)

Make a commit

Now you have unsaved changes in your working directory. To see a summary:

$ git status
On branch my-branch
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/my-local-branch'.
Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)

	modified:   README.md

no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

You can look at the changes you've made

$ git diff

n00b tip: use enter to scroll and q to exit)

Stage your changes for commit (aka yes I want to keep these changes)

$ git add README.md

You can discard changes from your working directory

$ git checkout README.md

Your changes are now staged for commit.

$ git status
On branch my-local-branch
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/my-local-branch'.
Changes to be committed:
  (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)

	modified:   README.md

When changes are staged, they are ready to be added to the codebase, we just need to give the change a name. That is what a commit is.

Now, commit with a clear, concise message:

$ git commit -m "Add name to contributors"

(adjust the message accordingly if you added/changed anythings else )

See this blog post for good practices with commit messages.

You can take a look at the commit history using:

$ git log

n00b tip: use enter to scroll and q to exit)

Most git commands have alot of options. For example, for a prettier view of the commit/branch history:

$ git  log --oneline --graph

Use -h to get help on any git command (e.g. $ git -h or $ git commit -h)

Push your changes to remote

The changes you've made are only on your local repository. Push your branch to the remote repository:

git push origin my--branch

Your branch is now on your remote repository.

n00b tip: origin is an alias for the remote repository which was automatically created when you cloned the repo.

Create a pull request

You've almost contributed to this tutorial! The last step is to merge your branch into the master branch of the original repository.

Since you are not an owner of the original repo, you will have to create a pull-request. This is a request to add your changes to the code, which the owner can approve.

On the GitHub page for your page, find the New pull request button, and create a pull request merging your branch (head fork) into the master of the original repo (base fork).

Conclusion

Congrats you have succesfully contributed to a public git repo! We've only glimpsed at what git can do, especially with GitHub. But now you have used it and the ice is broken. To learn more advanced Git commands, the Git docs are a good place to start.

If you feel like something was missing, or poorly explained, feel free to create a new pull-request with your changes.

Contributors

• Russell Pollari
• Joe Test
• Ben Geraedts
• Aruran Vijayaratnam
• Shayan Liaghat
• Ling-Jun