matejk0 / github-move

github-move

github-move's Issues

Planning the move to GitHub

Step 1: Planning the move

You have a few options when moving your project to GitHub. This course will expose you to these options, help you choose a path, and then guide you down the path you have selected.

I know some people like to get straight to the point while others like more information. For those who like more information, be sure to check out the drop-downs like this one ⬇️

Why move to GitHub?

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Why move to GitHub?

You may be wondering what this GitHub thing is all about and why you should use it. If this sounds like you, here are a few reasons to make GitHub your project's new home:

• Version control — Everything on GitHub is stored in Git, the best version control system around. Version control allows you to experiment and make mistakes in code without messing up your final product.
• Keep your code in one place — Whether you work on multiple computers or just want to get some important projects off your computer, GitHub is the perfect place to store your projects online.
• Collaboration — Once your code is on GitHub, you can invite others to work on your code with you, share it with the world, or send a link to a friend to help you debug a problem.

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Where is your project today?

To give you the best information, I need to know a little about your project. In the next activity, you will apply a label to this issue to help me provide the most applicable information to help you move a project to GitHub.

⌨️ Activity: Add a label to this Issue

For this exercise, use the following table to determine which label to apply to this issue.

If your project is ...	Add the label
On your local machine	local
On a different website that includes version control	migration
On another website without version control (e.g. CodePen)	other

1. On the right side of this issue ^📖, look for a section titled Labels
2. Click the ⚙️ gear icon
3. Select the label that describes your project
4. Click the ✖️ x at the top of the label panel when you are finished

For a printable version of the steps in this course, check out the Quick Reference Guide.

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Watch below for my response

After you have added the label, I will add a new comment to this issue with next steps.

Sometimes I respond too fast for the page to update! If you perform an expected action and don't see a response from me, wait a few seconds and refresh the page for your next steps.

Preparing the project for Git

Step 2: Prepare the project

Working with Binary files

In general, there are two types of files: text files and binary files.

Text files, like most code files, are easily tracked with Git ^📖 and are very lightweight.

However, binary files like spreadsheets, presentations with slides, and videos don't work well with Git. If your repository already has some of these files, it's best to have a plan in place before you enable Git version control.

You could choose to remove the binary files, or use another tool like git-lfs (Git Large File Storage). We won't get into detail on how to set up git-lfs in this course, but we will talk about .gitignore files next, which are key to protecting your code from becoming bloated with binaries.

Add a .gitignore

As mentioned above, there are files you won't want to store in Git. In addition to avoiding binaries, you will also want to keep build artifacts out of your version controlled code. As we convert your project to a Git repository, it should only include the source code necessary to build or compile your project.

To do this, you will create a file in your current project named .gitignore. When you switch over, Git will use the .gitignore to determine which files and directories should not be tracked under version control.

A .gitignore file should be committed into your repository in order to share the ignore rules with any other users that interact with the repository.

Since the files to be ignored are dependent on the language you are using, the open source community has contributed some great templates for .gitignore files in the github/gitignore repository.

⌨️ Activity: Prepare your repository

1. Remove any binary files from your repository.
2. In your local environment, create a .gitignore file. Use a template or create your own.

When you are finished, close this issue. I will open a new issue with the next steps. 🎉

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Watch below for my response

🤖 I'm waiting for you to close this issue before moving on.