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diff --git a/doc/gitlab-basics/start-using-git.md b/doc/gitlab-basics/start-using-git.md index b3c5d32f2f5..3e3f96fb31f 100644 --- a/doc/gitlab-basics/start-using-git.md +++ b/doc/gitlab-basics/start-using-git.md @@ -1,38 +1,43 @@ +--- +type: howto, tutorial +--- + # Start using Git on the command line -If you want to start using Git and GitLab, make sure that you have created and/or signed into an account on GitLab. +While GitLab has a powerful user interface, if you want to use Git itself, you will +have to do so from the command line. If you want to start using Git and GitLab together, +make sure that you have created and/or signed into an account on GitLab. ## Open a shell -Depending on your operating system, you will need to use a shell of your preference. Here are some suggestions: - -- [Terminal](http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/introduction-to-the-mac-os-x-command-line) on Mac OSX +Depending on your operating system, you will need to use a shell of your preference. +Here are some suggestions: +- [Terminal](http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/introduction-to-the-mac-os-x-command-line) on macOS - [GitBash](https://msysgit.github.io) on Windows - - [Linux Terminal](http://www.howtogeek.com/140679/beginner-geek-how-to-start-using-the-linux-terminal/) on Linux ## Check if Git has already been installed -Git is usually preinstalled on Mac and Linux. - -Type the following command and then press enter: +Git is usually preinstalled on Mac and Linux, so run the following command: ```bash git --version ``` -You should receive a message that tells you which Git version you have on your computer. If you don’t receive a "Git version" message, it means that you need to [download Git](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git). +You should receive a message that tells you which Git version you have on your computer. +If you don’t receive a "Git version" message, it means that you need to +[download Git](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git). -If Git doesn't automatically download, there's an option on the website to [download manually](https://git-scm.com/downloads). Then follow the steps on the installation window. - -After you are finished installing Git, open a new shell and type `git --version` again to verify that it was correctly installed. +After you are finished installing Git, open a new shell and type `git --version` again +to verify that it was correctly installed. ## Add your Git username and set your email -It is important to configure your Git username and email address, since every Git commit will use this information to identify you as the author. +It is important to configure your Git username and email address, since every Git +commit will use this information to identify you as the author. -On your shell, type the following command to add your username: +In your shell, type the following command to add your username: ```bash git config --global user.name "YOUR_USERNAME" @@ -56,7 +61,10 @@ To verify that you entered your email correctly, type: git config --global user.email ``` -You'll need to do this only once, since you are using the `--global` option. It tells Git to always use this information for anything you do on that system. If you want to override this with a different username or email address for specific projects, you can run the command without the `--global` option when you’re in that project. +You'll need to do this only once, since you are using the `--global` option. It tells +Git to always use this information for anything you do on that system. If you want +to override this with a different username or email address for specific projects, +you can run the command without the `--global` option when you’re in that project. ## Check your information @@ -68,12 +76,12 @@ git config --global --list ## Basic Git commands -Start using Git via the command line with the most basic -commands as described below. +Start using Git via the command line with the most basic commands as described below. -## Initialize a local directory for Git version control +### Initialize a local directory for Git version control -If you have an existing local directory that you want to *initialize* for version control, use the `init` command to instruct Git to begin tracking the directory: +If you have an existing local directory that you want to *initialize* for version +control, use the `init` command to instruct Git to begin tracking the directory: ```bash git init @@ -81,34 +89,33 @@ git init This creates a `.git` directory that contains the Git configuration files. -Once the directory has been initialized, you can [add a remote repository](#add-a-remote-repository) and [send changes to GitLab.com](#send-changes-to-gitlabcom). View the instructions on [Create a project](../gitlab-basics/create-project.html#push-to-create-a-new-project) to create a new project on GitLab with your changes. +Once the directory has been initialized, you can [add a remote repository](#add-a-remote-repository) +and [send changes to GitLab.com](#send-changes-to-gitlabcom). You will also need to +[create a new project in GitLab](../gitlab-basics/create-project.html#push-to-create-a-new-project) +for your Git repository. ### Clone a repository -To start working locally on an existing remote repository, -clone it with the command `git clone <repository path>`. -By cloning a repository, you'll download a copy of its -files into your local computer, preserving the Git -connection with the remote repository. +To start working locally on an existing remote repository, clone it with the command +`git clone <repository path>`. By cloning a repository, you'll download a copy of its +files to your local computer, automatically preserving the Git connection with the +remote repository. -You can either clone it via HTTPS or [SSH](../ssh/README.md). -If you chose to clone it via HTTPS, you'll have to enter your -credentials every time you pull and push. With SSH, you enter -your credentials once and can pull and push straightaway. +You can either clone it via HTTPS or [SSH](../ssh/README.md). If you chose to clone +it via HTTPS, you'll have to enter your credentials every time you pull and push. +With SSH, you enter your credentials only once. -You can find both paths (HTTPS and SSH) by navigating to -your project's landing page and clicking **Clone**. GitLab -will prompt you with both paths, from which you can copy +You can find both paths (HTTPS and SSH) by navigating to your project's landing page +and clicking **Clone**. GitLab will prompt you with both paths, from which you can copy and paste in your command line. -As an example, consider a repository path: +As an example, consider this repository path: - HTTPS: `https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce.git` -- SSH: `` git@gitlab.com:gitlab-org/gitlab-ce.git `` +- SSH: `git@gitlab.com:gitlab-org/gitlab-ce.git` -To get started, open a terminal window in the directory -you wish to clone the repository files into, and run one -of the following commands. +To get started, open a terminal window in the directory you wish to clone the repository +files into, and run one of the following commands. Clone via HTTPS: @@ -122,13 +129,15 @@ Clone via SSH: git clone git@gitlab.com:gitlab-org/gitlab-ce.git ``` -Both commands will download a copy of the files in a -folder named after the project's name. - -You can then navigate to the directory and start working +Both commands will download a copy of the files in a folder named after the project's +name. You can then navigate to the directory and start working on it locally. -### Go to the master branch to pull the latest changes from there +### Switch to the master branch + +You are always in a branch when working with Git. The main branch is the master branch, +but you can use the same command to switch to a different branch by changing `master` +to the branch name. ```bash git checkout master @@ -136,13 +145,20 @@ git checkout master ### Download the latest changes in the project -This is for you to work on an up-to-date copy (it is important to do this every time you start working on a project), while you set up tracking branches. You pull from remote repositories to get all the changes made by users since the last time you cloned or pulled the project. Later, you can push your local commits to the remote repositories. +To work on an up-to-date copy of the project (it is important to do this every time +you start working on a project), you `pull` to get all the changes made by users since +the last time you cloned or pulled the project. Use `master` for the `<name-of-branch>` +to get the main branch code, or the branch name of the branch you are currently working +in. ```bash -git pull REMOTE NAME-OF-BRANCH +git pull REMOTE <name-of-branch> ``` -When you first clone a repository, REMOTE is typically "origin". This is where the repository came from, and it indicates the SSH or HTTPS URL of the repository on the remote server. NAME-OF-BRANCH is usually "master", but it may be any existing branch. +When you first clone a repository, REMOTE is typically `origin`. This is where the +repository was cloned from, and it indicates the SSH or HTTPS URL of the repository +on the remote server. `<name-of-branch>` is usually `master`, but it may be any existing +branch. ### View your remote repositories @@ -157,17 +173,20 @@ git remote -v To add a link to a remote repository: ```bash -git remote add SOURCE-NAME REPOSITORY-PATH +git remote add <source-name> <repository-path> ``` -You'll use this source name every time you [push changes to GitLab.com](#send-changes-to-gitlabcom), so use something easy to remember and type. +You'll use this source name every time you [push changes to GitLab.com](#send-changes-to-gitlabcom), +so use something easy to remember and type. ### Create a branch -To create a branch, type the following (spaces won't be recognized in the branch name, so you will need to use a hyphen or underscore): +To create a new branch, to work from without affecting the `master` branch, type the +following (spaces won't be recognized in the branch name, so you will need to use a +hyphen or underscore): ```bash -git checkout -b NAME-OF-BRANCH +git checkout -b <name-of-branch>> ``` ### Work on an existing branch @@ -175,12 +194,14 @@ git checkout -b NAME-OF-BRANCH To switch to an existing branch, so you can work on it: ```bash -git checkout NAME-OF-BRANCH +git checkout <name-of-branch> ``` ### View the changes you've made -It's important to be aware of what's happening and the status of your changes. When you add, change, or delete files/folders, Git knows about it. To check the status of your changes: +It's important to be aware of what's happening and the status of your changes. When +you add, change, or delete files/folders, Git knows about it. To check the status of +your changes: ```bash git status @@ -188,7 +209,8 @@ git status ### View differences -To view the differences between your local, unstaged changes and the repository versions that you cloned or pulled, type: +To view the differences between your local, unstaged changes and the repository versions +that you cloned or pulled, type: ```bash git diff @@ -196,16 +218,19 @@ git diff ### Add and commit local changes -You'll see your local changes in red when you type `git status`. These changes may be new, modified, or deleted files/folders. Use `git add` to stage a local file/folder for committing. Then use `git commit` to commit the staged files: +You'll see any local changes in red when you type `git status`. These changes may +be new, modified, or deleted files/folders. Use `git add` to first stage (prepare) +a local file/folder for committing. Then use `git commit` to commit (save) the staged +files: ```bash -git add FILE OR FOLDER +git add <file-name OR folder-name> git commit -m "COMMENT TO DESCRIBE THE INTENTION OF THE COMMIT" ``` ### Add all changes to commit -To add and commit all local changes in one command: +To add and commit (save) all local changes quickly: ```bash git add . @@ -217,35 +242,32 @@ The `.` character typically means _all_ in Git. ### Send changes to GitLab.com -To push all local commits to the remote repository: +To push all local commits (saved changes) to the remote repository: ```bash -git push REMOTE NAME-OF-BRANCH +git push <remote> <name-of-branch> ``` -For example, to push your local commits to the _master_ branch of the _origin_ remote: +For example, to push your local commits to the _`master`_ branch of the _`origin`_ remote: ```bash git push origin master ``` -### Delete all changes in the Git repository +### Delete all changes in the branch -To delete all local changes in the repository that have not been added to the staging area, and leave unstaged files/folders, type: +To delete all local changes in the branch that have not been added to the staging +area, and leave unstaged files/folders, type: ```bash git checkout . ``` -### Delete all untracked changes in the Git repository - -```bash -git clean -f -``` +Note that this removes *changes* to files, not the files themselves. ### Unstage all changes that have been added to the staging area -To undo the most recent add, but not committed, files/folders: +To undo the most recently added, but not committed, changes to files/folders: ```bash git reset . @@ -259,25 +281,31 @@ To undo the most recent commit, type: git reset HEAD~1 ``` -This leaves the files and folders unstaged in your local repository. +This leaves the changed files and folders unstaged in your local repository. CAUTION: **Warning:** -A Git commit is mostly irreversible, particularly if you already pushed it to the remote repository. Although you can undo a commit, the best option is to avoid the situation altogether. +A Git commit should not usually be reverse, particularly if you already pushed it +to the remote repository. Although you can undo a commit, the best option is to avoid +the situation altogether by working carefully. -### Merge created branch with master branch +### Merge a branch with master branch -You need to be in the created branch. +When you are ready to make all the changes in a branch a permanent addition to +the master branch, you `merge` the two together: ```bash -git checkout NAME-OF-BRANCH +git checkout <name-of-branch> git merge master ``` -### Merge master branch with created branch +<!-- ## Troubleshooting -You need to be in the master branch. +Include any troubleshooting steps that you can foresee. If you know beforehand what issues +one might have when setting this up, or when something is changed, or on upgrading, it's +important to describe those, too. Think of things that may go wrong and include them here. +This is important to minimize requests for support, and to avoid doc comments with +questions that you know someone might ask. -```bash -git checkout master -git merge NAME-OF-BRANCH -``` +Each scenario can be a third-level heading, e.g. `### Getting error message X`. +If you have none to add when creating a doc, leave this section in place +but commented out to help encourage others to add to it in the future. --> |