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Author: Makori Nyachaki
Saving your code in a repository allows you to backup your code and showcase it to the world.
- Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle both small and very large projects with speed and efficiency.
- While GitHub is a web-based Git repository hosting service, and offers all of the distributed revision control and source code management (SCM) functionality of Git and also implements other new features.
- GitHub is a popular home for "open source" projects (i.e., projects whose source code is freely available online and may be redistributed and modified).
Version Control System
- Keeps track of changes in your files.
- Helps one collaborate with others on various projects.
- Tests changes without losing original versions.
- Ease to revert to previous versions if needed.
Web-based hosting service for git
- Provides a "remote" workplace for yor git workplaces.
- Acts as backup incase of theft and breakdown.
Linux Users
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Checking the version and if git is installed
git --version
if it is installed it returns the version of git installed
If you are using a RedHat style distribution (RedHat, CentOS or Fedora), type
sudo yum -y install git
or their newer versions
sudo dnf -y install git
and if you are using Debian-based distributions i.e. Ubuntu
sudo apt-get git
Mac Users
Download git bash package for macs from here
Remember to follow the instructions on the page.
Windows Users
Great! You have successfully installed Git. It is time to let Git know who you are. This is very important because each commit uses this information on any VCS. All this is done in your commandline.
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Configuring your username
git config --global user.name "Your name" -
Configuring your email
git config --global user.email "Your Email"
Note: The global is used to set the username and email for every repository in your account. Otherwise you can remove global flag to set a username and email for each repo each time you use it.
While on your terminal navigate to a specific location where you want to create your folder using the cd command: Then create a folder using the following command:
mkdir foldername
To navigate into your folder use the cd command i.e.
cd foldername
After creating and you are in your folder initialize your folder using:
git init
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mkdir - makes a new directory(make directory) Syntax: mdir dirctoryname
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cd - Change current working directory(Change directory)
Syntax: cd directoryname/path_to_you_target_directory
- Initializing a directory git creates a hidden(.git) folder which it uses to track changes in the main directory.
Now in your git repository create a new file using your available text editors. Example: Create hello.c with the following contents:
#include <stdio.h>
/**
* main -Entry point
* Return: 0
*/
int main(void)
{
printf("Hello World, I am learning Git");
return (0);
}
Staging means signals git to track changes in a file. It is done through the following command: Syntax: git add filename The file name in our case is 'hello.c'
git add hello.c
Incase you have many file you can use '-A' or '--all' flags to track changes in all files. '-A' flag is a shorthand of '--all' and serve the same purpose. Usage
git add -A
or
git add --all
You can also use the dot(.) to track changes in all files. Usage:
git add .
We are now set to keep track of our changes on git using git commit. Each commit is considered as a saving point in Git.
Syntax: git commit -m "commit message"
Note: The commit message should relate with what you have done to your project with regrad to your previous work.
Example committing our staged file:
git commit -m "First implementation of hello world"
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Sometimes you can commit without staging a file. This is so especially when changes are very small.
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This is achieved using -a flag which will stage every change automatically in every file. Usage:
git commit -a -m "Added a new line to hello world"
Syntax: git status
Displays useful information about your repository (e.g., current branch, tracked/untracked files, differences between local and remote versions)
Note: Short status flags are:
?? - Untracked files
A - Files added to stage
M - Modified files
D - Deleted files
It has got other options too like --short, ...
This uploads all local commits to remote i.e from your computer to Github.
Command:
git push
This command is used to download remote commits to the local repository i.e from Github to the computer.
Command:
git pull
Used for viewing the history of commits of your repository.
Command is:
git log
- A branch is a new/separate version of the main repository.
- Branches allow you to work on different parts of the project without impacting the main branch.
- After completion of the work the branch is ready for merging with the main branch.
- It allows you to work on multiple projects without impacting each other.
Checking the branches you have
Command:
git branch
Creating a new branch
Command:
git branch new_branch_name
Checkout
- checkout is the command used to check into the new branch.
Command:
git checkout new_branch_name
- After creating a new branch change into the new branch and work on your project.
- Then you will follow the same procedure in staging and commiting.
- All the changes will be saved in the new branch without affecting the main branch.
Note Using the -b option on checkout will create a new branch, and move to it, if it does not exist
Command:
git checkout -b new_branch_name
Merging Conflicts
- This happens when two collaborators make changes to the same file.
- As a result, Git will complain when you attempt to git pull and you will need to manually resolve the conflict.
- To fork is to Create a copy of someone else’s repository on your profile so that you can contribute to their project without affecting their project.