Git, GitHub and Markdown

Objectives

• Understand Git, GitHub, and Markdown
• Develop crucial collaboration skills
• Emphasize the significance of documentation for code usability and project visibility

Git

• A version control system (VCS)
• Created in 2005 by Linus Torvalds
• Efficiently tracks changes in files
• Used to manage source code and documentation within a project

Architecture

• Git operates with a client-server structure:
  • Remote repositories (server)
  • Local repositories (local copies known as clones)
• Fully distributed VCS for offline work: each clone contains the full history

Commits, hashes and tags

• Commits represent snapshots of the repository
• Each commit has a unique, unalterable hash
• Tags serve as references, often for releases
• Commit signing enhances security

Branches

• Tracks distinct repository versions
• Default branch is typically named main
• Branches have names and commit pointers (heads)
• Allow to work on features or bug fixes without affecting the main branch

Merging branches

• Collaborative project workflow
• Three primary merging methods:
  • Merge
  • Rebase
  • Squash
• In this course, you will focus on the merge method

Conflicts

• Arise from simultaneous file edits
• Git detects and requires resolution
• Conflicts must be resolved to decide which changes to keep
• It can be tricky but is a crucial skill

Ignore Files

• gitignore files omit specific files that should not be on the repository
• Improves repository cleanliness and security (avoid sensitive data leaks)
• Tip: avoid online gitignore generators, they generate a lot of unnecessary rules

Summary

• Git is a distributed VCS
• Git uses commits to track changes
• Git uses branches to track different versions of the repository
• Git can pull changes from a remote repository
• Git can merge, rebase or squash branches/commits
• Git can detect and resolve conflicts

We encourage you to learn how to use Git from the command line, so you can still use it everywhere (even on a server).

GitHub

• Git hosting platform
• Created in 2008
• Web-based Git hosting
• Popular for open source projets

Social platform

• Social interactions:
  • Follow users
  • Star projects
  • Discover new projects
• Forking repositories
  • Create a copy of a repository
  • Make changes and contribute back

Free features and PRO features

• Enhanced features with PRO
  • Access to premium features and software
• Free for students - you can apply!

Users and organizations

• Users or organizations ownership
• Users can be part of multiple organizations

Issues, pull requests and forks

• Contribution workflow
  • Issues
  • Forks
  • Pull requests
• Approval process
• Project management tools (wiki, planning, etc.)

Summary

The whole process would be as follow:

1. Open an issue to discuss the feature (optional, but recommended)
2. Clone or fork the project and checkout to a new branch
3. Make your changes, commit and push them as often as you want
4. Create the pull request
5. The maintainers review and merge if OK
6. You can delete the branch or the fork

Markdown

• Lightweight markup language
• Created by John Gruber and Aaron Swartz in 2004
• Simple and versatile
• Used by many platforms and tools

Markdown and output formats

• Multiple output formats
• Supports HTML integration
• Used in web pages, presentations, documentation

Syntax

• Markup language with special characters (#, *, -, [], ! _, etc.)
• Discord and Telegram uses Markdown for formatting
• Supports headings, text formatting, code blocks, lists, links, images, and tables

Specifications

• No single standard
• CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown are the most popular
• Custom extensions for additional features on some platforms

Summary

• Markdown is easy to learn and use
• Markdown can be used to create documentation
• Markdown can be used to create slides
• Markdown can be exported to many formats

What will you do?

• Install and configure Git
• Create and configure your GitHub account
• Create your own GitHub profile README
• Add yourself to the GitHub organization README

Finished? Was it easy? Was it hard?

Can you let us know what was easy and what was difficult for you during this chapter?

This will help us to improve the course and adapt the content to your needs. If we notice some difficulties, we will come back to you to help you.

GitHub Discussions

You can use reactions to express your opinion on a comment!

What will you do next?

In the next chapter, you will learn the following topics:

• Java: why is Java a popular programming language?
• IntelliJ IDEA: tips and tricks for a better (collaborative) experience
• Maven: Java project structure, dependencies and build tool

Sources

• Main illustration by Roman Synkevych on Unsplash
• Illustration by Aline de Nadai on Unsplash
• Git logo by Git
• Git illustrations by Atlassian - 1, 2, 3, 4
• Git strip by xkcd
• Illustration by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash