Git is a modern version control system that gives full access to a projects source code and all its changes, branches, and iterations. Git allows individuals and teams to create, modify, share, and collaborate on projects together. It tracks changes that were made, when the changes were made, and by whom they were made. It also allows you to run tests, fix bugs, and contribute code without disturbing the master file by being able to create and work on local branches created off the master code. This way numerous individuals from anywhere can simultaneously work on the project without time or location constraints.
A Git repository contains the entire collection of a project’s files and folders and all the revision history of each file. This helps to keep projects protected and organized. There are a couple of different ways to use Git. You can use the command line of your systems native terminal to directly execute specific commands to copy, change, combine, or create code. You can also use an application like Github to execute specific commands and certain text editors like Atom come with basic Git and Github integration built in.
I think all of this sounds fantastic. It makes sense and I can understand the importance of what this kind of version control has done for developers. I even understand the basic theory behind it but I am finding it hard to learn how to use! I have used it five times recently to try and push my personal website through Git into Github and have caused my personal website project to burn villages down exactly those five times. I’ve used it to make pull requests successfully but for some reason each time I try to navigate inside of Git to commit and push changes to my Github project I end up sweating and swearing. Builds character right? I can tell by the fearful and concerned looks on my classmates faces as I flail about that my personal struggle with Git is also helping them build character.
Here are a few of the unintended results of me tripping around in Git. Yesterday, I somehow accidentally cloned a version of my project within itself causing everything but the title of my personal site to disappear. And the font that my title reverted to made me want to delete the whole thing and hide until the spring. What was interesting was that all of my code was still there in my text editor but the css all of sudden decided that it was broken and wouldn’t let anything communicate with it. I’ve accidentally merged older commits to the master branch overriding all the changes I spent hours on and created expletive inducing mayhem when trying to revert/reset/undo those merges. I trip around in there so often I’m not even sure of what I’m talking about!
But I am determined to learn how to successfully use Git. So determined that I signed up to give a little talk about Git in class next week. It will be like performance art. Nobody will know what I’m talking about but the sincerity will be intense!
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