Github 101

A training project for GitHub.

Download the GitHub Client (already done!)

• Download the app using the appropriate link below:
  • Windows: http://windows.github.com/
  • Mac: http://mac.github.com/

What is GitHub?

It is a web-based hosting service for software development projects using the Git revision control system. Stolen from wikipedia.

What does that mean?

Are you familiar with Wikipedia? People from all over the world are able to edit, view, and add to the information on Wikipedia. Github is a similar concept.

• Central Access: As long as someone has internet access, she can access the project.
• Track Changes: Using git, you can see the history of changes made to a file.
• Collaboration: Others can use your project as a starting point for their own efforts, or contribute to yours. With git, merging your changes with other people's changes is simplified.

What is Git?

Git is a version control system, a way to manage changes to documents. Git is how we track and manage files, github is where we store a project and collaborate.

• Local Repository: Collection of documents on your local machine.
• Remote Repository: Collection of documents on another machine.
• Commit: Snapshot of changes to a document.
• Sync: Push and pull changes with a remote repository.

Create an account

https://github.com/

Create a repo (repository)

• Click the New Repository button on the main github page.
• Select the suggested name for your project.
• Add the description My First GitHub Repo.
• Select a public repo and check the box to initialize it with a README.
  • Don't worry about the drop-downs below it (.gitignore and license).

Check out your repo

• Once the github client is installed, Add your GitHub username information to the client on your machine.
• Click on your username on the left.
• Select the project and click clone
• Click the arrow next to your project; you will see your initial commit.

Make a change

• While on your project in the GitHub client, click the Tools menu item at the top of the page.
• Select open in explorer
• Open up the README.md file in a text editor like notepad.
• Edit a line of text in the file.
• Add a line of text to the file, anything you want, and save it.

Commit your change

• Open your GitHub client back up, and you'll see a message in the upper right that says "uncommitted changes".
• Click Show and you will see your changes on the left. Red means a line was removed. Green means a line was added.
• Review your changes. Are you satisfied with what you see? If not, go back and make more changes to the file.
• Once you are ready, you can fill out the box on the right with a commit messages.
• The commit message should succintly describe the changes you made. If you need to be in depth, use the extended description box.
• Click commit.

Check the GitHub site for your changes

• Switch back to the browser where your GitHub project/website lives, do you see your changes? (No! And it's OK. Read on.)
• Changes made on your local machine are not pushed back up to the global repo until you sync your code.
• Switch back to the GitHub client, and click the highlighted sync button at the top of the window.
• Now if you head back to the website, you can review your changes.

Why use GitHub?

It's free for projects that are public for all to see. It's a good place for people to give you feedback, potential employers to check out your work, and to store our work as we learn to code.

Time for Forking?