ENGR 100 Git Tips

This is a set of tips to make using Git as easy and painless as possible. You are most than welcome to use advanced features of Git, but if you are looking to get away with the bare minimum then you may find this helpful.

The Golden Rule

Never delete history. This is the easiest way to accidentally delete part or all of your work. We have disabled this feature on GitHub to try to prevent the issue, but we'd rather you not try to remove history as this frequently results in bad things. Removing history includes:

• Using the -f or --force option for anything, mainly git push.
• Using git rebase, or git replace
• Using the --amend option for git commit after the commit has already been pushed.
• Any other command that looks like it changes previous commits.

If you are trying to correct an accidental commit, instead use git revert. This will create a new commit that reverts your changes to a previous commit without running the risk of deleting history. For example, if you wish to create a new commit that is identical to 1 commit before the current commit, use git revert HEAD~1

Tips

• Be very careful when using the --hard option for anything. This will typically permanently remove any uncommitted changes to your local copy. If you are going to use this option, we strongly recommend making a quick backup of your working copy, such as copying all files to a different directory or using the git stash command.
• Be careful when solving merge conflicts. Git inserts extra text to denote differences between versions of a file, and leaving this text in will almost always break code and cause confusion. You can also end up merging files that you did not want to merge.
• Be careful with branches, if you decide to use them. Merging branches can be problematic.
• When in doubt, ask an instructor. We are all fairly well versed in Git and can help you out in almost any situation. Asking before doing is always best, because it will require less work than if something is done incorrectly. Plus, we may have a nice trick or two to show you!