Notes on Using Git

Reasons For Using Git and GitLab/GitHub
Good Git Habits
Working With Git
Conflicts
Reverting a Specific Commit
GitLab/GitHub features
Some Useful Resources

Reasons For Using Git and GitLab/GitHub

You have been using git to submit your work to GitLab.

But that isn’t what git is really about.

git is a version control (VCS) system; these are also called revision control systems (RCS) or source code management systems (SCMS)).

What version control systems do for you:

Provide backup against accidentally deleting files or chunks of files.
Allow you to find where a change was made that caused problems.
Allow you to revert to a previous version of your file, or to reverse a change you made.
With a remote repository:
- Provide backup against your computer failing.
- Synchronize your work across multiple computers
- Allow you to collaborate with others.

Good Git Habits

To take advantage of these capabilities you need to develop some good practices:

Do all your work in your repository; don’t just copy things there at the last minute.
Commit and push often:
- Each time you complete a substantial chunk of work (e.g. finish a problem or a part of a problem).
- Each time you take a break.
- Each time you run into a problem (include a reminder of the problem in your commit message).
Your commit message should be concise but useful.
You can provide more extensive information in a second paragraph
- Not sure if RStudio shows this, but GitLab and the command line git do.
Pushing often also lets you know early if there is an issue with GitLab access.
- If you are using Windows and https, after changing your HawkID password you may need to use the Credentials Manager to remove the old authentication information for GitLab.

Working With Git

If all goes well:

If you are working on your own and on only one computer, all you will need to do with git is:
- Commit changes to your local repository.
- Push changes to your remote GitLab repository.
If you are using several computers, or collaborating with someone, you will also need to pull changes from GitLab.

If you run into issues, you will need to use some more git tools.

The most common operations are well supported by RStudio or GitLab:

Finding what changes were made to a file.
Retrieving an older version of a file.

Other operations are easier, or only possible, using the command line:

Moving and Renaming files.
Reversing a particular change.

`git` Operations with RStudio

You can perform git operations with:

The Tools > Version Control menu.
The Git tab.

Examples:

Make a change, longer commit message, push.
Review history, get old file versions.
Create folders, renaming files.

`git` Operations with GitLab

Review history, get old file versions.
Check out Blame tab.

Using Command Line `git` in a Shell/Terminal

Set Up a Reasonable Editor

Occasionally git will want to open an editor to let you enter a commit message.

The default editor it uses (usually vi or vim) is probably not useful.

You can register a more reasonable editor using

  git config --global core.editor <editor>

Replace <editor> with the name of a program that opens your editor when run from the command line with a text file argument.

On Linux you can use gedit or nano.
On Windows notepad should work.
On Mac OS you should be able to use nano.

Or use your favorite editor if you have one.

You only need to do this once on each system you use. The information you provide is included in a .gitconfig file in your home directory.

If you don’t do this you may end up with git using the vi or the vim editor, which is powerful but not intuitive if you haven’t used it.

If you end up in vi, type :q<return> to get out.

Common Commands

git clone <repository> [<directory>]
git status
git pull
git add <file1> <file2> ...
git commit or git commit -m "<message>"
git push

Other Commands

git log [<file>]
git blame <file>
git mv <oldname> <newname>
git show <REVHASH>:<filepath>

Examples

Log, blame
Create, rename
Change, longer commit message
- If you end up in vi, type :q<return> to get out.

Conflicts

It you work on several computers, or collaborate with someone, you may need to resolve conflicts.

Conflicts are marked with <<<<<<, ======, >>>>>>
Remove the markers and adjust the code.
Some editors provide some support for this.

Reverting a Specific Commit

The git revert command allows you to revert a specific commit.
git revert --help provides some documentation.
This can lead to conflicts that will need to be resolved.

GitLab/GitHub features

GitLab and GitHub are social coding platforms.

In addition to providing a remote repository, they provide a number of facilities to aid in collaboration.

Two important facilities are:

Issues for reporting and discussing bugs and other issues.
Merge requests (called pull requests in GitHub) for managing the incorporation of proposed changes.

Issues can be assigned to someone to deal with; assigning an issue will generate an email to the assignee.