Version control is a system that manages changes to a file or files. These changes are kept as logs in a history, with detailed information on what file(s) was changed, what was changed within the file, who changed it, and a message on why the change was made. This is extremely useful, especially when working in teams or for yourself 6 months in the future (because you will forget things)!
To understand how incredibly powerful version control is, think about these questions: How many files of different versions of a manuscript or thesis do you have laying around after getting feedback from your supervisor or co-authors? Have you ever wanted to experiment with your code or your manuscript and need to make a new file so that the original is not touched? Have you ever deleted something and wish you hadn’t? Have you ever forgotten what you were doing on a project? All these problems are fixed by using version control (git)!
We are going to go over a typical workflow. This could be either a solo workflow or a collaborative workflow.
git init; the saved
history of the folder and files) in that foldergit add), saving it to the
history (git commit)git status)git diff)git add; this is an
area before going into the history)git commit)git log)(If we have time):
git remote; the command is usually provided from GitHub)git
push)git pull)Tips:
For configuring your git, follow the “Initial setup” I’ve put together:
Create a folder and create a git repository (which is the stored
history) in that folder. (Note: ## is a comment, not a command).
cd ~/Desktop ## Move to your desktop
mkdir playing ## Create a folder (aka directory)
cd playing
git init ## Create the repository (init = initialize)
Now, create a file, get git to track it, and save it to the history.
touch bio.txt ## Command to create a file called bio.txt
ls ## Check that you created the file, ls = list files
git add bio.txt ## Track the file
## Save the file to the history with a message (-m)
git commit -m "Initial commit"
Now, open the bio.txt file and add:
Then:
git status ## Check the activity
git diff bio.txt ## Compare to the one in the history
git add bio.txt ## This sends it to the staging area
git commit -m "Added my bio" ## This sends it to the history
For a description on what the different stages are (working directory, staging area, and committed history) see the below links:
Then, to see what has happened in your history:
git log ## View the log of your history
If we have time, we’ll create a GitHub account, create a GitHub repository (a remote repository), and upload the repository on your computer (called the local repository) onto the remote repository (GitHub):
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/playing.git
git push origin master
git pull
Now you know about a typical workflow! There are lots of commands and options in git, you really can do almost anything. However, these are the basic tools that are used most frequently. If you have any questions, please check out StackOverflow for literally any question on or about Git!! Or just google it! Google usually shows answers from StackOverflow.
cd - change directoryls - list the files and folders in a foldertouch - create an empty fileinit - start or initialize a git repositoryadd - put a file into the staging area, so that git starts
tracking itcommit - send files in the staging/index area into the history
(the git repository)status - check the status of the folder and the git repositorydiff - compare a file to the a file in the historylog - view the commit history in the git repositoryHere are a few great resources (excluding StackOverflow) to use if you ever need help: