GitHub Integration

Tutorial 4 of 4

GitHub Integration

1. Introduction

This tutorial aims to guide beginners on how to integrate their projects with GitHub. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a basic understanding of the following:

  • Creating a repository on GitHub
  • Pushing your local code to GitHub
  • Using key features of GitHub like branches, pull requests, and merging.

Prerequisites:
- Basic understanding of Git version control system.
- Git installed on your local system.
- A GitHub account.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Before we start, make sure you have Git installed on your local system. If not, you can download it from the official Git website.

Step 1: Create a new repository on GitHub

Go to your GitHub account, click on the '+' icon on the top right corner, and select 'New repository'. Provide a suitable name for your repository and click 'Create repository'.

Step 2: Clone the repository to your local system

Open the terminal and navigate to the folder where you want to clone the repository. Use the command git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git to clone the repository.

Step 3: Add your project to this local repository

Copy your project files into this folder (the cloned repository).

Step 4: Push your project to GitHub

First, you need to track these files with Git. Use the command git add . to add all the files. Next, commit these changes using git commit -m "Initial commit". Finally, push this commit to GitHub using git push origin master.

3. Code Examples

Example 1: Pushing a commit to GitHub

# Navigate to your local repository
cd /path/to/your/repository

# Add all new or modified files to the Git staging area
git add .

# Commit the changes
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Push the commit to the remote repository on GitHub
git push origin master

In this example, git add . stages all new and modified files, git commit -m "Initial commit" saves your changes to the local repository, and git push origin master pushes the changes to the remote repository on GitHub.

Example 2: Creating a new branch

# Create a new branch
git branch new-branch

# Switch to the new branch
git checkout new-branch

git branch new-branch creates a new branch, and git checkout new-branch switches to this new branch.

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we covered how to create a repository on GitHub, clone it to your local system, add your project to this local repository, and push these changes to GitHub. We also looked at how to create a new branch.

Next, you could learn about more advanced features of GitHub like forking a repository, creating pull requests, resolving merge conflicts, and using GitHub pages for hosting your website.

For more information, refer to the official GitHub documentation.

5. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Create a new repository on GitHub, clone it to your local system, add a simple 'Hello, World!' program (in any language), and push it to GitHub.

Exercise 2: On this repository, create a new branch, make some changes to your program on this new branch, and push these changes to GitHub.

Exercise 3: Try creating a pull request on GitHub to merge these changes back into the master branch. Make sure to resolve any merge conflicts.

Solutions: These exercises are self-explanatory and are intended for hands-on practice. If you face any difficulties, refer back to the tutorial or consult the official GitHub documentation.