CS170: Programming for the World Around Us - Using Git and GitHub
Developed by Professor Tralie and Professor Mongan.
Please watch the video below, and when you're finished, click the "NEXT" button to proceed.
Note that some videos may show "Resource Unavailable" as the thumbnail - this is just the preview, and the video should play normally upon clicking the "Play" button.
Why Git and GitHub?
Throughout this course, you will write programs that grow and change over many work sessions. Git is a tool called a version control system: it keeps a running history of your work, so you can save a snapshot (called a commit) every time you make progress, and rewind if something breaks. GitHub is a website that stores a copy of your git history in the cloud, which is how you will submit your assignments in this course — and how software teams all over the world share their work every day.
Here is the whole workflow in one picture:
| Step | Command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | git clone <url> |
Downloads your assignment repository to your computer (you only do this once per assignment) |
| 2 | (edit your files) | Write some code! |
| 3 | git add . |
Stages your changed files, telling git “include these in my next snapshot” |
| 4 | git commit -m "describe what you did" |
Saves a snapshot of your staged work, with a message describing it |
| 5 | git push |
Uploads your commits to GitHub, where the instructor can see them |
| 6 | Repeat steps 2-5 early and often! | Each commit is a safety checkpoint — and your latest pushed commit is what is graded |
A good habit: commit every time you get one piece working (for example, “reads the file correctly,” or “first loop working”). If you commit early and often, you will never lose more than a few minutes of work, and you will always have a working version you can go back to.
Please watch the video above for a walkthrough, and when you’re finished, continue to the next module to practice working with a repository.