Menu ▾ ▴

GIT_OPERATIONS

Robert Trenaman

Git Operations Guide

This guide covers Git operations including commit, push, pull, and branch management using GitHub Commander.

Overview

The Git Panel provides comprehensive Git operations for local repositories:

  • Commit changes
  • Push to remote
  • Pull from remote
  • Create and manage branches
  • View repository status

Git Panel Interface

The Git Panel includes:

  • Repository Selection - Choose local repository
  • Status Display - Show current branch and changes
  • Commit Message - Enter commit message
  • Action Buttons - Commit, Push, Pull, Create Branch
  • Branch List - View and switch branches
  • File Changes - View modified and untracked files

Committing Changes

Viewing Changes

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. The status area shows:
  4. Current branch
  5. Modified files (in red)
  6. Untracked files (in blue)
  7. Staged changes (in green)

Staging Files

Files are automatically staged when you commit. To stage specific files:

  1. Select files in the status area
  2. They will be included in the commit

Committing

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. Review the changes in the status area
  4. Enter a commit message
  5. Click "Commit"
  6. Changes will be committed to the local repository

Commit Message Guidelines

Write clear, descriptive commit messages:

Good: "Add user authentication feature"
Bad: "update files"

Good: "Fix login bug with special characters"
Bad: "fix stuff"

Good: "Update dependencies to latest versions"
Bad: "deps"

Commit Message Format

Consider using conventional commits:

  • feat: - New feature
  • fix: - Bug fix
  • docs: - Documentation changes
  • style: - Code style changes
  • refactor: - Code refactoring
  • test: - Adding tests
  • chore: - Maintenance tasks

Example:

feat: add user authentication


- Add login form
- Implement OAuth
- Add session management

Pushing Changes

Pushing to Remote

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. Click "Push"
  4. Changes will be pushed to the remote repository

Push Options

  • Branch - Which branch to push (default: current)
  • Force Push - Overwrite remote (use with caution)

Force Push

Force push overwrites remote history. Use only when:

  • You know what you're doing
  • Collaborators are aware
  • History needs to be rewritten

Warning: Force push can cause issues for collaborators.

Push to Specific Branch

  1. Select branch from dropdown
  2. Click "Push"
  3. Changes pushed to selected branch

Pulling Changes

Pulling from Remote

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. Click "Pull"
  4. Changes from remote will be merged into your local branch

Pull Options

  • Branch - Which branch to pull from (default: current)
  • Strategy - Merge or rebase (future feature)

Handling Merge Conflicts

If conflicts occur during pull:

  1. Conflicting files will be marked
  2. Open files and resolve conflicts
  3. Mark conflicts as resolved
  4. Commit the merge

Branch Management

Creating Branches

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. Enter the new branch name
  4. Select the source branch
  5. Click "Create Branch"
  6. The new branch will be created

Branch Naming Conventions

Use descriptive branch names:

  • feature/add-login
  • bugfix/fix-auth-error
  • hotfix/security-patch
  • docs/update-readme
  • refactor/cleanup-code

Switching Branches

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. Select the branch from the dropdown
  4. Click "Checkout"
  5. You will switch to the selected branch

Note: Uncommitted changes may cause issues. Commit or stash before switching.

Viewing Branches

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. All local branches are displayed
  4. Current branch is highlighted

Deleting Branches

To delete a branch:

  1. Switch to a different branch
  2. Use Git command line: git branch -D branch-name
  3. Or use GitHub web interface

Repository Status

Viewing Status

  1. Go to the Git Panel
  2. Select a local repository
  3. The status area shows:
  4. On branch - Current branch name
  5. Changes not staged - Modified files
  6. Untracked files - New files
  7. Changes to be committed - Staged files

Status Indicators

  • Modified (M) - File has changes
  • Added (A) - New file staged
  • Deleted (D) - File deleted
  • Renamed (R) - File renamed
  • Untracked (??) - New file not tracked

Git Configuration

Setting User Name and Email

Configure in Settings:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Find "Git Configuration"
  3. Set:
  4. User Name - Your name
  5. User Email - Your email
  6. Click "Save"

Or use Git command line:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Why Configuration Matters

Git uses this information for:

  • Commit author attribution
  • Commit history
  • Collaboration identification

Advanced Operations

Stashing Changes

To temporarily save changes:

git stash

To restore stashed changes:

git stash pop

Viewing History

To view commit history:

git log

To view file history:

git log --follow filename

Resetting Changes

To discard local changes:

git checkout -- filename

To reset to previous commit:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

Warning: These operations can't be undone.

Troubleshooting

"Failed to commit"

Causes:

  • No changes to commit
  • Merge conflicts
  • File locked by another process

Solutions:

  • Verify you have changes
  • Resolve conflicts first
  • Close files that might be locked

"Failed to push"

Causes:

  • No remote configured
  • Authentication issues
  • Diverged history
  • Network issues

Solutions:

  • Add remote: git remote add origin url
  • Check authentication
  • Pull first, then push
  • Check internet connection

"Failed to pull"

Causes:

  • Merge conflicts
  • Authentication issues
  • Network issues
  • Diverged history

Solutions:

  • Resolve conflicts
  • Check authentication
  • Check internet connection
  • Consider rebase instead of merge

Merge Conflicts

Symptoms:

  • Pull fails with conflict messages
  • Files marked with conflict markers

Solutions:

  1. Open conflicting files
  2. Look for <<<<<<< markers
  3. Choose which version to keep
  4. Remove conflict markers
  5. Mark as resolved
  6. Commit the merge

Best Practices

Commit Workflow

  1. Make small, frequent commits
  2. Write descriptive messages
  3. Commit related changes together
  4. Review before committing
  5. Test after committing

Branch Workflow

  1. Create feature branches
  2. Work on features in branches
  3. Test thoroughly
  4. Merge back to main when done
  5. Delete feature branches

Collaboration

  1. Pull before pushing
  2. Resolve conflicts promptly
  3. Communicate with team
  4. Use pull requests for review
  5. Keep main branch stable

Next Steps

After mastering Git operations, explore:

auth0 logo