Git and Github Tutorial

Overview

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up your development environment and contributing to a project on GitHub.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the basics of Git and GitHub.
• Learn how to clone a repository.
• Learn how to add changes to a repository.
• Learn how to commit changes to a repository.
• Learn how to push changes to a repository.
• Learn how to create a pull request.

Resources

• Git and Github
• Git Tutorial (w3schools.com)
• How to Use Git and GitHub – Introduction for Beginners (freecodecamp.org)
• Learn Git Branching (Interactive tutorial)
• Git - Basic Branching and Merging (git-scm.com)
• Pull Requests in VS Code - YouTube

Setup and Installation

1. Setup

1.1. Install Git (Windows Users Only)

• Download Git

1.2. Install VS Code

• Download VS Code

1.3 Fork the repository

• Fork the repository by clicking the fork button on the top right corner of the repository page.

  • Click the fork Button

  

  • Name the repo and click "Create fork"

  • You should now have a copy of the repository on your own account.

Tutorial

2.1. Git and GitHub

This section will guide you through the process of cloning a repository, adding changes, committing changes, pushing changes, and creating a pull request.

2.1.0. Configure Git

• Open the terminal and run the following commands to configure Git:

git config --global user.name "<your-name>"
git config --global user.email "<your-email>"

These commands will set your name and email for Git. This information will be used to identify you as the author of the changes you make.

Example:

git config --global user.name "John Doe"
git config --global user.email "JohnDoe@gmail.com"

2.1.1. Clone the repository

• Open the terminal and navigate to the directory (also known as folder) where you want to clone the repository.
  • Make sure the path you choose has NO ARABIC LETTERS. This will cause errors.
    • On Mac:
    • On Windows:
• Go to the repository page on your own account and click on the green code button.
• Copy the link under the clone section.
• Run the following command inside of the opened terminal to clone the repository:

git clone <The Link from your Repository>

Example:

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_NAME/Selection-Project.git

2.1.2. Add changes

• Open the repository directory in VS Code.

  • The path must be INSIDE the cloned repository.
  • Click on File -> Open folder
  • Select the repository folder.
  • The repository should be opened in VS Code.
  • To make sure, run the following command in the terminal INSIDE Vscode:

  git status

  • The output should be similar to the following:

• Run the following command to add the changes:

git add .

2.1.3. Commit changes

• Run the following command to commit the changes:

git commit -m "<commit-message>"

2.1.4. Push changes

• Run the following command to push the changes:

git push

2.1.5. Create a pull request

• Go to the repository page and click on the pull request button.
• Click on the new pull request button.
• Select the branch you want to merge into the main branch.
• Click on the create pull request button.
• Add a title and description for the pull request. Title should be in the following format: <your-name> - <project-name>.
• Click on the create pull request button.

2.2. Git Branching

Usually, you will be working on a feature or a bug fix in a separate branch. This is to avoid conflicts with the main branch and to keep the main branch clean.

2.2.1. Create a new branch

• Run the following command to create a new branch:

git checkout -b <branch-name>

Example:

git checkout -b feature-1

2.2.2. Switch to a branch

• Run the following command to switch to a branch:

git checkout <branch-name>

Example:

git checkout main

2.2.3. Merge branches

• Run the following command to merge a branch into the main branch:

git merge <branch-name>

Example:

git merge feature-1

2.3. Git Collaboration

This section will guide you through the process of collaborating with others on a project.

2.3.1. Add a remote repository

• Run the following command to add a remote repository:

git remote add <remote-name> <remote-url>

Example:

git remote add origin https://github.com/Programming-Club-IAU/Level-1.1.git

2.3.2. Fetch changes

• Run the following command to fetch changes from a remote repository:

git fetch <remote-name>

Example:

git fetch origin

2.3.3. Pull changes

• Run the following command to pull changes from a remote repository:

git pull <remote-name> <branch-name>

Example:

git pull origin main

2.3.4. Add Collaborators

• Go to the repository page and click on the settings tab.
• Click on the manage access button.
• Click on the invite a collaborator button.
• Search for the username of the collaborator you want to add.
• Click on the add collaborator button.

Conclusion

This tutorial has covered the basics of Git and GitHub. You should now be able to clone a repository, add changes, commit changes, push changes, create a pull request, create a new branch, switch to a branch, merge branches, add a remote repository, fetch changes, pull changes, and add collaborators.