Guide: Git Crash Course

a gloss of the key details from this post.

essential steps to contributing work to a github project, using common language (with git language next to it in parenthesis).

Disclaimer and purpose: to give you the LEAST you need to know in order to get to work on a project that a git nerd has already started. Some things are over-simplified to accomplish this. This guide is for you if you've got better things to do than worry about what.

0.nerd asks you to git

someone, probably a nerd, has asked you to work on a project (repository, repo) hosted on github.

1.make a copy (fork)

make a copy (fork) of the project

2.start a task (branch)

give a name to the task you're starting.

3.edit (change) something

pick the file you need to work on and find the edit button. go to town.

4.save it (commit)

save what you did. git will require you to describe (comment) what you did. put something short, sweet, and clear as you can, but don't sweat it.

5.repeat

repeat steps 3 and 4 until you think you're done. *if you want some next level skills, the idea is that you should do super specific step 3's and 4's often with good descriptions. but don't let a nerd tell you how to work. but do own it if you end up getting lost and can't find your way home.

6.send it back (pull request)

this will also ask you to give an overall description of the work you did.