Git and GitHub Workshop

Git and GitHub Workshop

Audience: First-year Master’s students (new to coding and version control)
Objective: By the end of these instructions, you will be able to:
✅ Create a GitHub repository
✅ Clone it to your computer
✅ Make changes, commit them, and push updates to GitHub

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📌 Why Use Git and GitHub?

Git is a tool that helps you track changes in your code over time. GitHub is a platform that stores your code online and allows you to share it with others.

With Git and GitHub, you can:

• Keep a history of your changes
  
• Work on projects from different computers
  
• Collaborate with others easily

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🛠️ Setup Requirements

✅ Install Git on your computer:

• MacOS: Open Terminal and install Git using Homebrew:

brew install git

• Windows: Download and install Git from https://git-scm.com.

• Linux: Install Git using your package manager:

sudo apt install git

✅ Create a GitHub account:

• Go to https://github.com and sign up.

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1. Create a Repository on GitHub

1. Open https://github.com and log in.
   
2. In the top-right corner, click the + icon → New Repository.
   
3. Fill out the repository details:
   • Repository name: my-first-repo
     
   • Description: (Optional)
     
   • Set it to Public (or Private if preferred)
     
   • Check Add a README file
     
4. Click Create repository

✅ You’ve created your first repository!

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2. Clone the Repository to Your Computer

1. Open your repository on GitHub.
   
2. Click the green Code button → Select SSH → Copy the SSH URL.
   
3. Open a terminal (Command Prompt, Git Bash, or similar).
   
4. Navigate to a directory where you want to store your project:

cd ~/Documents

5. Clone the repository:

git clone git@github.com:your-username/my-first-repo.git

6. Change into the repository folder:

cd my-first-repo

✅ You’ve now downloaded a local copy of your repository.

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3. Make Changes to a File

1. Open the repository folder in a text editor (like VS Code).
   
2. Open the README.md file.
   
3. Add a line of text:

This is my first repository for my coding project.

4. Save the file.

✅ You’ve made your first change!

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4. Stage, Commit, and Push Changes

Now you need to tell Git to track and save these changes.

👉 Step 1: Check the Status

In the terminal, check which files have changed:

git status

You should see the README.md file listed as modified.

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👉 Step 2: Stage the Changes

Stage the file so Git knows to track it:

git add README.md

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👉 Step 3: Commit the Changes

Create a snapshot of the changes and add a descriptive message:

git commit -m "Added personal message to README"

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👉 Step 4: Push the Changes

Send the changes to GitHub:

git push

✅ Check your repository on GitHub → Refresh the page → Your new content should be visible!

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5. Make More Changes (Optional)

1. Open the README.md file again.
   
2. Add another line of text:

Here’s a second change to my repository.

3. Save the file.

👉 Repeat the Git Workflow

1. Check status:

git status

2. Stage the change:

git add README.md

3. Commit the change:

git commit -m "Added second line to README"

4. Push the change to GitHub:

git push

✅ Refresh your GitHub repository to confirm the update.

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6. How to Check the History

To see a history of your commits, type:

git log

• Press q to exit the log view.

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7. Troubleshooting Tips

💡 Permission denied when cloning?
- Make sure your SSH key is set up correctly. Follow GitHub’s guide on setting up SSH keys here.

💡 Git asks for your username and password?
- You might not be using SSH. Double-check that you copied the SSH URL, not the HTTPS one.

💡 Changes aren’t showing on GitHub?
- Make sure you’ve pushed your changes:

git push

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✅ Workflow Summary

1. Make changes – Edit your files.
   
2. Stage changes – git add <filename>
   
3. Commit changes – git commit -m "Message"
   
4. Push changes – git push

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🎯 What Success Looks Like

✅ A GitHub repository created.
✅ Files cloned to your local machine.
✅ Successfully edited, committed, and pushed changes to GitHub.

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🚀 Next Steps

• Try adding more files and making more commits.
  
• Explore creating a branch and making a pull request.
  
• Experiment with resolving conflicts and merging branches.

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👏 Well Done!

You’ve completed the Git and GitHub workshop. Version control will now make your coding projects more organized and stress-free!

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