ETC5513: Collaborative and Reproducible Practices

Tutorial 9

Author

Michael Lydeamore

Published

20 May 2025

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will cover the following topics:

  1. Creating a Git repository from existing work using git init and setting up the remote.
  2. Adding a license to your repository on GitHub.

Setting Up a New Project in RStudio

To begin, we will set up a new project in RStudio without using version control.

Step 1: Create a New Project

  1. Open RStudio.
  2. Go to the top menu and select File > New Project....
  3. In the “New Project” wizard, select New Directory.
  4. Choose New Project.
  5. Enter a name for your project and select a location on your computer where you want to save it.
  6. Click Create Project.

You now have a new RStudio project set up without version control

Creating a Git Repository from Existing Work

If you have an existing project that you want to version control with Git, follow these steps:

Step 1: Initialize the Git Repository

  1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
  2. Navigate to the root directory of your existing project using the cd command. For example:    bash    cd path/to/your/project   
  3. Initialize a new Git repository in this directory by running:    bash    git init       This command creates a new subdirectory named .git that contains all of your necessary repository files.

Step 2: Add Your Files to the Repository

  1. Not all of our files should be added to git. For example, the .Rproj.user. folder should be left out. Create a new text file called .gitignore and add the pattern .Rproj.user/ to ignore. Test if this is working using

    git status

  2. Add all of your project files to the staging area:    bash    git add .   

  3. Commit the files to the repository with a descriptive message:    bash    git commit -m "Initial commit"   

Step 3: Set Up the Remote Repository

  1. Go to GitHub and create a new repository. Do not initialize it with a README, .gitignore, or license.
  2. Copy the URL of the new GitHub repository.
  3. In your terminal, add the remote repository URL to your local repository:    bash    git remote add origin git@github.com:your-username/your-repository.git   
  4. Push your local repository to GitHub:    bash    git push -u origin main   

You should now be able to see your repository on GitHub.

Adding a License on GitHub

Adding a license to your repository is important for defining how others can use your code. Follow these steps to add a license:

Step 1: Choose a License

  1. Go to Choose a License to find a license that suits your needs.
  2. Copy the text of the license you choose.

Step 2: Add the License to Your Repository

Method 1: Using RStudio

Licenses are just plain text files (like gitignore).

  1. Create a new text file in RStudio, and past the contents of the license you chose.

  2. Save the license as LICENSE (with no extension)

  3. Add and commit the files, and push to GitHub

    git add LICENSE
git commit -m "Add license"
git push origin main

  4. Check if you can see the license file on GitHub

Method 2: Using GitHub

  1. In your GitHub repository, click on the “Add file” button and select “Create new file”.
  2. Name the file LICENSE (or LICENSE.md if you prefer Markdown format).
  3. Paste the license text into the file.
  4. Scroll down and click “Commit new file” to add the license to your repository.
Tip

GitHub will also suggest you some licenses. If these suit your needs, you can just use those.

Conclusion

You have now successfully set up a new project in RStudio, created a Git repository from existing work, set up the remote, and added a license to your GitHub repository. These steps are fundamental for managing your projects and collaborating with others in a reproducible manner.