Installing & Configuring Git¶

Git is version control software for code. When paired with Github, Git is a convenient way to collaborate on coding projects. This series will help you get comfortable with the basic workflow and commands, and includes a helpful [reference] for when you get stuck.

Download & Install Git¶

Go to git-scm.com to download Git. Run the installer. I recommend installing only Git Bash in the context menu. I also recommend checking the option to 'Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt'.

Open Git Bash (right-click to bring up the context menu or find it in your programs folder) and type git --version to make sure it's successfully installed.

Configure Git¶

To get the most from Git, you can configure a few of its global setings. In Git Bash, type the following commands:

git config --global user.name <name> 
git config --global user.email <email>

Replace <name> and <email> with your name and email. Your name and email will be associated with any commits you make (i.e., when you save and publish edits to code). Use git config --list to see all settings available to you.

Git Log¶

The log is helpful when you need to see the history of changes made or roll back to a previous change. These commands help you navigate the logs.

git log | all commits git show | last commit git ls-files | lists all files that git is tracking git log --oneline --graph --decorate --all |more detailed history of commits

Create an alias for the git history command¶

We'll customize the hist command to provide more information when we use it. You can use this pattern to alias other commands as well.

In Git Bash, type:

git config --global alias.hist "log --oneline --graph --decorate --all"

Now use git hist to see the same command, note it still accepts additional arguments (for example, use git hist <filename> to see history for one file).

History will be served line by line, type q to quit at any time.

Setup your preferred editor¶

You must provide a message describing your changes when you commit. You can usually type this directly into Git Bash, but sometimes you'll want to provide a lengthier message. You can set up your default editor for commit messages. This will set up VSCode as the default editor (note that --wait is only required for VSCode, and other editors may not require that flag).

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

Type git config --global -e to confirm this worked. VSCode should open and display the contents of Git's configuration file.

Info

You can open files with the command start <filepath> using your system's default editor for that filetype. If you want to open a project in VSCode from the command line (or Git Bash), type code ., where the period represents the current folder. This will open VSCode within the context of the project's folder. See the documentation for other ways you can open files/folder from the command line.

Setup Diff & Merge Tool¶

When there are conflicting changes to a file, you'll need to tell Git which changes to keep using Diff and Merge tools. Use the command git config --global -e to open Git's global configuration file and paste the following into it:

[merge]
    tool = vscode
[mergetool "vscode"]
    cmd = code --wait $MERGED
[diff]
    tool = vscode
[difftool "vscode"]
    cmd = code --wait --diff $LOCAL $REMOTE

Info

You can also use VSCode to compare two files using the command code --diff <filepath1> <filepath2>. This option is available from within VSCode through the context menu as well.

Connect to GitHub¶

You'll want to set up an account on GitHub. You can either create a single profile for both your personal and professional projects, or you can set up a profile specifically for your professional projects.

You will also want to join the Environmental Incentives organization. Once you're set up, let someone on the Metrics team know your GitHub user name and we'll send you an invite.

The next section will walk through connecting your local Git repository to GitHub.