GIT tips¶

If you are new to Git and GitHub, this page helps you getting started by explaining how to make some modification to a repository. The explaining assumes that you are trying to modify this website, but it should work for most repositories.

1. Set Up Your SSH Key¶

To securely connect with GitHub, you’ll need to add your SSH key to your GitHub account. here, you can find how to add your public key to your account.

2. Clone a GitHub Repository¶

If you are not a member of the psm-compute organization, fork the repository (i.e. create a duplicate of the repository in your own GitHub account), then clone it (see below).

If you are a member, natigate to the here, click on Code, then copy the SSH link and clone the repository using git clone :

git clone git@github.com:psm-compute/psm-compute.github.io.git

This command will create a local copy of the repository on your computer.

3. Check the Status of Your Repository¶

From you computer, when you start making modifications to the files, it’s a you can check the status of your repository to see if there are any changes:

git status

4. Create and Switch to a New Branch¶

To make changes without affecting the main branch, create a new branch:

git branch update_readme

and then, switch to the new branch:

git checkout update_readme

5. Edit Files and Stage Changes¶

Make the necessary edits to the files. For example, to edit the README.md file, use a text editor like vi:

vi README.md

After editing, check the status again to see the changes:

git status

Stage the changes to prepare them for commit:

git add README.md

6. Commit and Push Changes¶

Commit your changes with a descriptive message:

git commit -m "Modified the README.md file"

Next, push your changes to GitHub:

git push

If it’s the first time you’re pushing from this branch, you’ll need to set the upstream branch:

git push --set-upstream origin update_readme

7. Create a Pull Request¶

Finally, open your web browser and navigate to the GitHub repository (here): After pushing your changes, you should see a message indicating the recent pushes. Click on “Compare & pull request”. On the right side of the page, select your reviewers, and add a description if needed. This will create a pull request for your changes to be reviewed and merged.

8. Delete the Branch Locally (Optional)¶

Once your changes are merged with the main branch, and if you no longer need the branch locally, you can delete it:

git branch -d update_readme