My Experience Adding TOML Config and Using Git Remotes

This week, I worked on a new feature on my friend's repo repository-context-packager which provides support for a TOML config file. The idea was to let users save default settings in a file instead of typing them every time in the command line.

Adding the TOML Config Feature

I added support for a config file called .repo-context-packager-config.toml. This allows users to save their preferred settings in one place instead of typing them out every time in the command line. The program automatically reads from the config file, making it easier and faster to run. If users still provide command-line arguments, those will override the values from the config file. This feature makes the tool more convenient, flexible, and user-friendly.

The issue I filed:- issue-10

The PR I made:- pull request

Challenges Faced

While working on this feature, I faced a few difficulties:

• The repository structure was quite different from mine — most of the logic was written in a single file, which made it harder to follow and integrate changes.
• It was also a bit challenging to understand the coding style and flow of the existing implementation, which slowed down my progress at first.
• Even after applying the configuration file, the recent option was being applied every time. The issue turned out to be that it was being read as a string instead of a boolean, so it always behaved as true.

Working with Git Remotes

I got a Pull Request on my repo for the new feature. To review the work, I set up the other repo as a remote and created a tracking branch to test the code locally. At first, it was difficult for me to understand how Git remotes work, but after some practice I managed it.

I fetched the changes, checked out the branch, and tested everything on my machine. Once I confirmed the feature worked, I merged the branch into my main branch and pushed the changes.

This process helped me understand how to work with Git remotes, tracking branches, pull requests, and merging code in a collaborative way. It was my first time doing it, and even though it was tricky at the beginning, I now feel more confident using these Git features.

The PR I got:- pull request

Issue on my repository:- issue-8

Lesson Learned

From this experience, I learned that working with someone else’s code requires patience and careful reading, and that Git remotes, tracking branches, and pull requests are very powerful tools for collaboration. I also realized that testing and reviewing a branch locally before merging into the main branch is crucial to avoid mistakes, and that even initially confusing tools and commands become manageable with practice and repetition.

Next time, I would spend more time understanding the structure of the other student’s repo before starting my work, so I could plan my changes more effectively. I would also practice Git remote commands and branch management on a small test repo to feel more confident, and communicate more frequently with the repo owner to clarify any unclear parts of the code early on.