How to install GitHub Desktop on Windows/Mac/Linux?
How to create a new repository in GitHub Desktop?
How to commit changes in GitHub Desktop?
How to push changes to a remote repository in GitHub Desktop?
How to resolve merge conflicts in GitHub Desktop?
How to create a pull request in GitHub Desktop?
How to switch between branches in GitHub Desktop?
How to use the command-line interface in GitHub Desktop?
How to integrate GitHub Desktop with Visual Studio Code/Atom?
How to install GitHub Desktop on Windows/Mac/Linux?
To install GitHub Desktop on Windows, you can download the installer from the GitHub Desktop website and then run the installer.
For Mac, you can download the installer from the GitHub Desktop website and then drag the GitHub Desktop icon into the Applications folder.
For Linux, you can download the GitHub Desktop AppImage from the GitHub Desktop website. Then make it executable using chmod +x, then you can run it.
Alternatively, you can use the command line to install GitHub Desktop on any platform. For example, on Windows you can use the command choco install github-desktop, and on Mac, you can use the command brew cask install github-desktop.
How to create a new repository in GitHub Desktop?
To create a new repository in GitHub Desktop, follow these steps:
Open GitHub Desktop and sign in to your account.
Click on the “+” button in the top left corner of the application.
Select “Create a New Repository” from the drop-down menu.
In the “Repository name” field, enter the name you want to give to your repository.
In the “Local Path” field, select the location on your computer where you want to store the files for the repository.
Select the “Initialize this repository with a README” checkbox if you want to include a README file in your repository.
Click on the “Create Repository” button to create the new repository.
Once the repository is created, you can add files and make changes to the repository by clicking on the “Changes” button and then “Commit to master” button.
To upload the changes to GitHub, click on the “Push origin” button.
You can also create a repository directly on GitHub by going to GitHub website, signing in and clicking the ‘+’ button on the top right corner, then selecting ‘New repository’ on the dropdown.
How to commit changes in GitHub Desktop?
To commit changes in GitHub Desktop, first, make sure all the changes you want to include in the commit are saved in the local repository. Next, open GitHub Desktop, and you should see the changes you made listed in the “Changes” tab.
In the “Summary” field, enter a brief description of the changes you made. In the “Description” field, you can provide more detailed information about the changes.
Once you have entered the summary and description, click the “Commit to [branch name]” button to commit the changes. The changes will now be saved to the local repository and can be pushed to the remote repository by clicking the “Push origin” button.
How to push changes to a remote repository in GitHub Desktop?
To push changes to a remote repository in GitHub Desktop, first, make sure you have committed the changes to your local repository. Once you have committed the changes, open GitHub Desktop, and you should see the changes listed in the “Changes” tab.
To push the changes to the remote repository, click the “Push origin” button located in the top right corner of the screen. This will upload the changes to the remote repository and make them available to others.
You could also use “Sync” button to push and pull changes in one step.
If you are working on a branch other than the default branch and want to push the changes to a new branch on the remote repository, you can use the “Publish Branch” button. This will push the changes to a new branch on the remote repository and create a pull request to merge the changes into the default branch.
How to resolve merge conflicts in GitHub Desktop?
When merging branches in GitHub Desktop, merge conflicts can occur when the same lines of code have been modified in both branches. To resolve these conflicts, you will need to decide which changes to keep and which to discard.
To resolve merge conflicts in GitHub Desktop, follow these steps:
Open GitHub Desktop and navigate to the “Changes” tab.
Click the “Fetch origin” button to get the latest changes from the remote repository.
Click the “Merge” button next to the branch you want to merge with the current branch. This will start the merge process.
If merge conflicts occur, GitHub Desktop will open the “Conflicts” tab. This tab will show a list of files that have conflicts.
Click on a file with conflicts to open it. You will see that the conflicting code is highlighted in red and blue. The red code is the version from the current branch, and the blue code is the version from the branch you are merging.
Manually edit the file to keep the changes you want, and delete the changes you don’t want.
Once you have resolved the conflicts in the file, click the “+” button to stage the file.
Repeat steps 5-7 for all files with conflicts.
Once you have resolved all the conflicts, commit the changes and push them to the remote repository.
It is a good idea to keep a backup of your files before resolving merge conflicts, as there is a small possibility of losing important information.
How to create a pull request in GitHub Desktop?
To create a pull request (PR) in GitHub Desktop, follow these steps:
Make sure you have committed and pushed your changes to a separate branch on the remote repository.
Open GitHub Desktop and navigate to the “Branches” tab.
Select the branch that contains the changes you want to propose, and click the “New Pull Request” button.
In the “New Pull Request” window, select the branch you want to merge your changes into, usually the default branch (master or main)
Review the changes that will be included in the pull request.
In the “Title” field, enter a brief summary of the changes you made. In the “Description” field, you can provide more detailed information about the changes and why they should be included in the default branch.
If you want, you can also assign reviewers, add labels, or request specific reviews.
Click the “Create Pull Request” button to create the pull request.
After you create the pull request, other collaborators can review the changes and provide feedback. Once the pull request has been reviewed and approved, it can be merged into the default branch.
It’s important to note that you should only create a pull request if you are working with a team or if you are contributing to an open-source project.
How to switch between branches in GitHub Desktop?
To switch between branches in GitHub Desktop, follow these steps:
Open GitHub Desktop and navigate to the “Branches” tab.
In the “Branches” tab, you will see a list of branches in your local repository.
To switch to a different branch, simply click on the branch name in the list. GitHub Desktop will automatically pull the latest changes from the selected branch and update your local repository.
If you wish to switch to a branch that is not currently in your local repository, you can click on the “+” button located in the top right corner of the “Branches” tab, and then select the “New Branch” option. In the dialog box that appears, enter the name of the branch you want to create, and select the branch you want to use as a starting point, usually the default branch (master or main)
If you want to create a new branch and switch to it, you can select the branch you are currently on, and click the “+” button, then select the “Create and Checkout” option. This will create a new branch based on the current branch, and switch to it.
Make sure you have committed and pushed your changes to the branch before switching to another branch, otherwise you will lose your work.
It’s also important to note that if you’re switching to a branch that has new changes that you haven’t pulled, GitHub Desktop will prompt you to pull the changes before switching to that branch.
How to use the command-line interface in GitHub Desktop?
GitHub Desktop is a graphical user interface (GUI) for interacting with Git and GitHub, but it also provides a command-line interface (CLI) for users who are more comfortable with the command line. To use the CLI in GitHub Desktop, you will need to open the command prompt or terminal on your computer and navigate to the local repository that you want to interact with.
Here are some basic Git commands that you can use with GitHub Desktop:
git clone [repository url]: This command is used to clone a remote repository to your local computer.
git status: This command shows the status of the current branch, including any changes that have been made but not yet committed.
git add [file name]: This command stages a file for commit.
git commit -m “[commit message]”: This command commits the changes to the local repository, with a message describing the changes.
git push: This command pushes the changes to the remote repository.
git pull: This command pulls the latest changes from the remote repository to your local repository.
git branch: This command lists all branches in your local repository.
git checkout [branch name]: This command switches to a different branch.
It’s important to note that these commands are standard Git commands and are not specific to GitHub Desktop. They will work in any environment where Git is installed.
You can use these commands to interact with Git and GitHub through the CLI, but for more advanced functionality and a more user-friendly experience, you may want to stick to the GUI provided by GitHub Desktop.
How to integrate GitHub Desktop with Visual Studio Code/Atom?
To integrate GitHub Desktop with Visual Studio Code or Atom, you can use the Git integration built into these text editors. This will allow you to access Git commands directly from within the text editor, making it easier to manage your code changes and work with GitHub.
For Visual Studio Code:
Install the Git extension for Visual Studio Code.
Once the extension is installed, you will see a new Git tab in the sidebar. This tab allows you to view and manage your local Git repository.
Open the repository in Visual Studio Code that you want to connect to GitHub Desktop.
In the Git tab, click on the “…” button to open the “Git: commands” menu.
Select the “Initialize Repository” option. This will create a new local Git repository in the folder you have open.
To link the local repository with a remote repository on GitHub, click on the “…” button again, and select the “Create Repository” option.
Follow the prompts to link the local repository with a remote repository on GitHub, and you’re all set!
For Atom:
Install the Git-plus package in Atom
Open the repository in Atom that you want to connect to GitHub Desktop.
Open the command palette by pressing ctrl+shift+p (cmd+shift+p on Mac)
Type “git init” command in the command palette and press enter, this will initialize a new repository in the folder you have open
To link the local repository with a remote repository on GitHub, use the git remote add origin [remote repository url] command, this will add the remote repository to your local one.
You should now be able to use the Git-plus package commands to manage your repository and perform git actions without leaving the Atom editor.
Please note that these steps are just a basic way to connect your Git repository with GitHub via the text editors, there are other ways to connect them and more options available in the text editors’ Git integration.