3 Getting Started¶

3.1 Initialize a repository¶

git init inside the directory first_git_project.
ls -la shows the directory .git. This lets us know that git has been initialized in this directory.

leave everything in .git alone.
you can check project level config at cat .git/config.
DO NOT delete this directory. All the tracking is stored here.
other version control tools may store tracking in every folder.
- not in git! everything is in .git.

create a file first_file.txt.
make git track this change.
First, git add . adds ALL changes in the current directory.
adding does not track changes (yet).
track changes using git commit -m "Initial commit". This commits all changes that were added.

Process:

How do we write good commit messages? Best practices:

A short single-line summary (less than 50 characters)
Optionally followed by a blank line and more complete description
Still keep each line to less than 72 characters (for improved viewability)
Write commite messages in present tense, not past tense
- “fix for a bug” or “fixes a bug”, not “fixed a bug.
- This is what’s inside the commit.
Bullet points are usually asterisks or hyphens
Can add “tracking numbers” from bugs or support requests
Can develop shorthand for your organization
- eg.: “[css, js]”, “bugfix:”, “#38405 -“
Be clear and descriptive
- bad: “fix typo”
- good: “add missing hyphen in project section of HTML”
- bad: “update login code”
- good: “change user authentication to use blowfish”
- bad: “updates member report, we should discuss if this is right next week” (extra information doesn’t have place in permanent commit log)

Example:
“ghi2394 - Fixes bug in admin logout

When an admin logged out of the admin area, they
could not long in to the members area …”