Git first step

[shbiom]

First step and explanation beginner friendly for basic git steps

• Introduction
• GitHub account creation
• Initial setup: Configuration SSH key on WISE RStudio and GitHub
• Github repository creation
• Clone the Repository in RStudio
• Create a New Branch
• Commit message
• Create a Pull Request
• Review and merge

[RitaPecuch]

Here is what I have for some of the above points:

Introduction:
Source code management (SCM), also known as version control, is the process of tracking and managing changes in code. Arguably the biggest benefit in using SCM is having a stored history of a project's life, all the way up to the latest commit. This allows teams to always be up to date with the latest code, which is a great preventive measure against overwriting code and creating conflicts. Communication overhead is an important factor to consider when multiple developers must collaborate on a shared code base. SCM allows for most communication to be substituted by reviewing textual diffs and notes found within commits, giving the developer more freedom and protection when working on upgrades or feature development.

Git is an SCM software, meaning it is a tool that keeps track of all changes and versions of your code. Git can be used without GitHub to track changes in files on your local machine. GitHub is a service that provides web, API, and SSH access to git repositories. Code from your local machine can be uploaded, or “pushed” to GitHub for remote storage that can then be accessed from any machine. It is important to understand the difference between Git and GitHub and not use the terms interchangeably.

GitHub account creation:
Access GitHub through your company's enterprise link and enter a username, email address, and password. Once account is created, navigate to Settings. Under Profile, enter first and last name and select “Update Profile” . Under Email, select “Send/Resend Verification Email” and follow the instructions to verify account email.

Create a New Branch:
Using Git bash, to create a new branch and switch to it , execute the command “git checkout -b ”. After creation, "git checkout " can be used to switch between branches.

Commit message:
When changes have been made that are ready to be saved, they first must be added to “Staging”. Then, when you “commit” your changes, changes from all files in the “Staging” area will be saved as a version of the project.

To add changes made to all the files in your repository to “Staging”, enter the command “git add .”. This will add all files from the current directory. To add only changes made to a single file to “Staging”, enter the command “git add directoryName/fileName”. Use “.” to specify the current working directory.

After files are added to “Staging”, the changes can be committed (saved) to the repository using the command below. Add a descriptive comment in quotes after the “-m” flag to describe changes that were made.

Create a Pull Request:
For changes made on your local branch to be reflected in the shared GitHub repository, they must first be pushed to your remote branch GitHub. If this will be your first time pushing local changes to this particular repository, enter the command “git push --set-upstream origin ”. This will tell GitHub which remote branch to push your changes to. For subsequent pushes to the same repository, use the command “git push”.

When changes made in a local feature branch are pushed to GitHub, navigate to the repository and the option “Compare & pull request” will appear at the top of the screen. Select “Create pull request” . Add a reviewer to send them an email notification.

Review and merge:
To review a pull request, either click on the link in the email or select the “Pull requests” tab to view open pull requests. Select a pull request to open it. The top portion will specify the user that created the pull request, the branch that changes are to be merged into (should be main/master), and the branch that changes were made in (should be a branch other than main/master).

Select “Files changed” to view changes in the requestor’s branch compared to the main branch. Note: changes from all commits in the pull request will show up together. Additions are represented in green and deletions are represented in red. Review files to ensure changes made are consistent with project goals. After reviewing all files, select “Review changes”. A pop-up window entitled “Finish your review” will open. Select “Comment” to leave a comment without approval/denial of the pull request, which is typically done if making a suggestion that is not required for approval. It will be at the discretion of the requestor if they feel the suggested changes are necessary. Select “Request changes” to submit feedback that must be addressed before approval can occur. Select “Approve” to approve the changes.

After a pull request is approved, any user may merge the feature branch with the main branch by selecting “Merge pull request”. Merging will also automatically close the pull request.