How Github Works

[Newtoniano20]

Why use github?

To improve the communication, debugging and workflow of both students and mentors, for all projects that involve some kind of coding, this github will be key to allow access to all mentors and students to the code and give feedback on it. During TechProjects, MIT mentors usually have a 6 hour difference, so if a meeting is not possible, github is the option to leave a discussion question, where someone from the mentor's team can help.
It is also important to have all codes of past and future projects in here as it is a source of inspiration and knowledge. Students can have a look what their mates in last years built and use it for their own projects or even continue those old projects.

How does github work?

Github works as a "Google drive" for code, where you can share code (and other files) with your team and at the same time, it will store all versions of your code (e.g. you can access the state of your code before you made any change, so if you deleted something by mistake, it can be retrieved.)

Steps to get you up and running

1. Create a github account:

• https://github.com/signup?ref_cta=Sign+up&ref_loc=header+logged+out&ref_page=%2F&source=header-home

2. Get access to the Organization

• Ask a mentor to create a repository for your group. That will give you access to a "Drive folder", where the code is going to be shared.
• You will receive the invite via email. Once you accept it and have access to the repository, keep going per the below.

3. Downloading Github

• Download and install github desktop: https://desktop.github.com/
• Login with your github account

4. Download and get access to the repository Locally

• Inside the app, go to the top left corner and click the following: File > "Clone Repository..."

• Look for the name of the repository and select it. Below you want the folder to be stored locally (in your computer). Select a place that fits you or leave the default.

• Click Clone. That will dowload all files in to your computer.

• Now, you can access all files by clicking the "Show in Explorer" Option:

5. Using Github

Now, you have access to github locally, but how do you upload your code and changes to it?
Whenever you change anything inside the folder, in the app, you'll see it appear on the left, that means github has recognized that you changed something.

Now, at the bottom left corner, you have a little panel where you can explain what changes you did and give a summary. The summary part, is mandatory for more than one file, so type whatever you think is a good explanation and click "Commit to main" at the bottom of the panel.

Finally, just click the Push Origin button at the top.

Now the code is accessible to everyone and will be shared with your mates.
To get the changes done by someone else, you'll have to press the same button as we did in the last step, but in this case is going to be "Pull Origin"