Git Reminder

Last updated on Mar 11, 2020 2 min read R

I have been using git for version control of my various projects including making local backups and versioning as well as for collaborative works utilizing github. Below I provide some simple notes on using git.

Basic git

To initialize a git project use git init or git clone _some url_

git status shows what has changed since the last update, including if there are differences with a collaborative project online (e.g. GitHub)
git pull Pulls down updates from the server – this is an essential step.
git add myfile Alternately use the -A flag to add all changes
git commit -m "decribe what you are doing" applies the changed
git push origin master Pushes your changes to the master branch on the server.
git status this final step should report that no changes are needed and that the local repository (copy) is up-to-date

Branching

git branch NAMEofBRANCH this creates a the branch but it is not the active branch
git checkout NAMEofBRANCH makes the branch the active one.
git add -A stage all the recent changes
git commit -m "blah blah ... explanation" commits the changes to the active branch
now run through the steps above… note that everything is relative to the active branch

Merging branches

one day I will write this up too.

Colin Chisholm RPF

Forest Manager

Interested in forests and ecology