Key Points – Version Control with Git

Automated Version Control

Use git config with the --global option to configure a user name, email address, editor, and other preferences once per machine.

git status shows you the branch you’re currently on.
git switch -c <branch-name> creates a new branch and switches you to it. Make sure you know what branch you are branching from before using git switch without a start-point!
git switch -c <branch-name> <start-point> lets you define the start-point to branch off, via another branch name, a commit ID, or a tag.
git switch <branch-name> switches you to another branch that already exists.
git branch -vv shows you all the branches in the repository.
git branch -m <old-branch-name> <new-branch-name> renames branches.
git branch -d <branch-name> deletes a branch. Use the -D flag instead of -d to force delete the branch.

git status shows the status of a repository.
Files can be stored in a project’s working directory (which users see), the staging area (where the next commit is being built up) and the local repository (where commits are permanently recorded).
git add puts files in the staging area.
git commit saves the staged content as a new commit in the local repository.
Write a commit message that accurately describes your changes.

Quickly navigate to a repository in your browser using the url pattern: https://github.com/<username or organisation>/<repo name>

The Commits page displays the history for the specified branch.
Adding compare to the end of the repository URL displays differences between commits.

A pull request (PR) is where your changes go through code and science review.
PRs can contain automated checks to help speed up the review process and avoid human error.
The PR will automatically create an easy to read diff (difference) of the changes for the review (in the Files changed tab).
Squashing and merging takes all the commits in your PR and ‘squashes’ them into a single new commit on the target branch.
git fetch fetches changes to the GitHub remote.
git pull pulls and merges changes to the GitHub remote into your local copy.
git branch -avv displays all your local branches including references to any remote branches.
git remote prune origin removes references to remote branches that have been deleted on GitHub.

You access your GitHub profile settings by navigating to: https://github.com/settings/profile.
To configure general GitHub notification settings navigate to: https://github.com/settings/notifications.
Click on the Watch or Unwatch repository dropdown button to change notifications for specific repositories.

The LICENSE, LICENSE.md, or LICENSE.txt file is often used in a repository to indicate how the contents of the repo may be used by others.
People who incorporate General Public License (GPL’d) software into their own software must make the derived software also open under the GPL license if they decide to share it; most other open licenses do not require this.
The Creative Commons family of licenses allow people to mix and match requirements and restrictions on attribution, creation of derivative works, further sharing, and commercialization.
People who are not lawyers should not try to write licenses from scratch.

Projects can be hosted on university servers, on personal domains, or on a public hosting service.
Rules regarding intellectual property and storage of sensitive information apply no matter where code and data are hosted.

Using RStudio’s Git integration allows you to version control a project over time.