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Git and Github

git and github are related but different - git is local version control software while github is an online platform for sharing git repositories. github desktop and git.arts.ac.uk are tools that interface with git locally and remotely. common uses of git include versioning one's own files, collaborating by forking or cloning others' repositories, and publishing code on github.

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subhakaran saileshan
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66 views

Git and Github

git and github are related but different - git is local version control software while github is an online platform for sharing git repositories. github desktop and git.arts.ac.uk are tools that interface with git locally and remotely. common uses of git include versioning one's own files, collaborating by forking or cloning others' repositories, and publishing code on github.

Uploaded by

subhakaran saileshan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Getting Started with Git and Github

Many classes in the CCI will either require or encourage you to use git and github in your work.
These can be complex and confusing at first, and how you use them depends a bit on what you
need to do.

git vs github
The first distinction that's normally quite important to make is that git and github are related but
different things.

git is a piece of software that lives on your computer. It is used for saving versions of files that you
are working on -- this is called 'version control'. Git is used on one folder at a time -- a folder that is
being versioned with git is called a 'git repository'.

github is a website online. It's used to share git repositories, and has a bunch of tools to allow
people to collaborate on code. It's not the only website people use to do this, but it's the main one
and it's very popular.

what about github desktop, git.arts.ac.uk?


github desktop is a piece of software you can use to manage git repositories on your computer.
It's by no means the only way to do this -- Visual Studio Code also has tools for managing git
repositories, and some people use git from the command line. It's a way of using git that is
graphical rather than text-based.

git.arts.ac.uk is a version of the Github website that is managed by the CCI. It is often used for
classes, as it allows CCI students (but not anyone else) to access the files. If you have a github
account, it will not work with git.arts.ac.uk (you need to use your UAL account instead), but
otherwise repositories will work the same (e.g. github desktop and the command line will still
work).

and github pages?


Github Pages is a web hosting service run by github.com, that allows you to turn a repository
containing web-compatible code into a website. The website will update when you update the files
in the git repository. This doesn't happen automatically -- if you want a Github Pages site you need
to approve this in settings.

SUMMARY:

github desktop does the same job as using git from the command line -- it runs locally
on your computer and allows you to both version files, and pull repositories from online.
github and git.arts.ac.uk are both websites that people use to share and collaborate on
git repositories.

what do I need to do?


Depending on your class, you might be needing to do different things with git. Below are some
common use cases.

At each of these points, you should end up with 2 things -- a local repository on your computer,
that you can edit and run, and a remote repository on github (or git.arts). These things will be
related, and if you own the remote repository, you should be able to push to it.

git setup
If you want to use git from the command line, there are a couple of extra setup steps, including
making an SSH key. If you plan to use git for many projects, or learn how to use git professionally,
this is a good idea. There are instructions for this process here.

If you are just getting started, or only want to use git for a one-off, you can follow these instructions
to set up and configure Github Desktop.

Make a new git repository online


Follow these instructions to create a new git repository and clone it locally.

Push existing code to an empty git repository


If you have some code that you wish to publish on github, the steps are as follows:
make an empty git repository online (this is the remote!) -> do this by following the steps
above, but make sure you do not create a README or any other files.
initialise your code as a git repository (this is local)
link the remote repository to your local repository
push your local files to the online repository

There is a full run-down of these instructions here.

Cloning a git repository


This is for when you want a copy of someone's code, and you might want to edit it, but you don't
need to publish the changes that you have made. This is quite a common way to test out other
peoples' scripts and tools. It's simpler than forking as you are just making a copy.

You can clone repositories either using the command line:

Get the url of the repository from the green 'code' button to the right of the repository's page.

Navigate to the folder where you want to have the repository on your computer, then use the git
clone command to clone it.
cd where/you/want/repo

git clone [email protected]:yourname/repo-name.git

cd repo-name

Making a fork of a git repository


This is something you will want to do if you need to make and version changes to someone else's
code. It's a really common thing to do for classes that require a code-based homework each week. I
wrote a longer guide to doing this here that uses the command line -- there's also a tutorial here
for doing the same thing with Github Desktop.

Revision #2
Created 21 February 2024 10:26:37 by agnes cameron
Updated 21 February 2024 13:23:56 by agnes cameron

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