GitHub Workflow

GitHub Workflow#

Overview#

This document provides step-by-step instructions for working with course materials using Git and GitHub. You’ll learn essential version control skills while accessing course notebooks and submitting assignments.

Prerequisites#

  • A GitHub account (create one at github.com if you don’t have one)

  • Git and GitHub Desktop installed on your computer

  • Basic familiarity with command line/terminal

Initial Setup#

Step 1: Fork the Course Repository#

  1. Navigate to the course repository

  2. Click the “Fork” button in the top-right corner

  3. Select your GitHub account as the destination

  4. Wait for GitHub to create your personal copy of the repository

Step 2: Clone Your Fork Locally#

  1. On your forked repository page, click the green “Code” button

  2. Copy the HTTPS URL it should look like: https://github.com/dmatekenya/AIMS-DSCBI.git

  3. Open your terminal/command prompt

  4. Navigate to where you want to store the course files

  5. Run the clone command:

    git clone https://github.com/dmatekenya/AIMS-DSCBI

  6. Alternatively, you can closne with GitHub Desktop

  7. Navigate into the repository folder:

    cd COURSE-REPO-NAME

  8. Open the folder in VS Code if you need to.

Step 3: Add Upstream Remote#

This allows you to get updates from the instructor’s original repository:

git remote add upstream https://github.com/dmatekenya/AIMS-DSCBI.git

Verify your remotes:

git remote -v

You should see both origin (your fork) and upstream (instructor’s repo).

Getting Course Updates#

When the instructor adds new materials (notebooks, assignments, etc.), follow these steps:

Step 1: Fetch Updates from Instructor#

git fetch upstream

Step 2: Switch to Main Branch#

git checkout main

Step 3: Merge Updates#

git merge upstream/main

Step 4: Push Updates to Your Fork#

git push origin main

Working with Course Materials#

Making Changes to Notebooks#

  1. Work directly on notebooks in the appropriate folders in VS Code

  2. Save your work regularly in Jupyter or your preferred editor

  3. Commit your changes frequently:

    git add .
git commit -m "Updated notebook exercises for week 2"

  4. Push your work to your fork:

    git push origin main

Note: Specific assignment instructions and submission procedures will be provided separately for each assignment.

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