I prefer to use git from the command line, rather than using a GUI-based tool.  Here are my favorite or most-used git commands.

Tools

• Command line git – posh-git
• Comes with Git for Windows – https://git-scm.com/download/win
• After install, you have shortcut to “Git Shell”
• NOTE: Tab for auto-completion in Git Shell

 

Setting up Kdiff3 as diff/merge tool

• Download/install Kdiff3
• Add to PATH: c:\Program Files\Kdiff3 (or equiv)
• git config –global merge.tool kdiff3
• git config –global diff.tool kdiff3

 

Cloning – get local of repo

• git clone https://github.com/spsexton/turtle.git turtle
  • Gets copy of repo and places in sub-directory “turtle”

 

List branches (local and remote)

• git branch -a

 

Create new local branch

• git branch 170502
• git checkout -b 170502 master    // create new branch off specified branch (master)

 

Switch to new branch

• git checkout 170502

 

Switch back to master (or another branch)

• git checkout master

 

Push new branch (simple git push will suggest this)

• git push –set-upstream origin 170502

 

Revert local changes (single file or all files)

• git checkout HEAD <filename>
• git checkout HEAD .

 

Doing diffs of local changes

• git difftool <filename>              // diff local file to remote (same branch, if not staged)
• git difftool master <branchname> — <filename>   // diff file across branches, remote copies
• git difftool master — <filename>   // diff local file to different branch (remote)

 

Sequence for commit/push changes

• git add .    — add file to list of things to be committed
• git commit -m “some message” .    — commit to local repo
• git push     — push to remote

To unstage a file (reverse of git add)

• git reset <filename>

To merge changes back to master, from branch

• On github.com site, find branch, do New Pull Request
  • This just shows all diffs, allows comments, but doesn’t yet create the pull request
• Add title and comments
• Review commits and changes
• Create Pull Request
• Verify no conflicts
• (Can leave Pull Request sitting out there at this point)
• Merge Pull Request
• Can delete branch after merge (Trash icon in branch list)

 

Update local, after merge

• git checkout master
  • Back to branch that you merged into
• git pull
  • Update from remote (you get the just-merged changes)
• git remote update origin –prune
  • Update local list of remote branches
• git branch -d 170502
  • Delete local branch that you just merged

 

Switching to new branch that already exists on remote

• git remote update origin –prune
  • Update local list of remotes
• git checkout newbranch
  • Automatically set to track remote

 

Abandon a branch

• git checkout master
  • Get off the branch
• git branch -d mybranch
  • Delete local
• Delete branch on github web site

 

Merging

• Assume you’re working on a feature branch and want to periodically merge from master
• git checkout master
• git pull
• git checkout mybranch
• git merge master

Merge remote into local changes

• E.g. if you’re on branch mybranch, have local changes not pushed, and there are other changes already pushed onto mybranch from elsewhere
• git checkout mybranch
• git fetch
  • Update remote tracking branches locally, e.g. origin/mybranch
• git merge origin/mybranch
  • Merge from remote (tracking branch) into your branch
• Resolve any merge conflicts

If you have conflict

• git mergetool filewithconflict
• Resolve in mergetool (e.g. KDiff3) and save
• Note that merged file is now included in list of files to be committed and that .orig file exists as untracked file
• Remove untracked orig files
  • Option 1
    • git clean -n
    • git clean -f
  • Option 2 – just delete files

 

See also: Git Cheat Sheat by Tower