Most used Git commands being a QA

Handy Git commands

Version control is now being implemented by almost all the organizations which would be very very important for collaboration, tracking and etc..

Version controlling/management is followed by QA team as well. I have been using the free version management system GIT on different projects. So I wanted to list out the most used and handy git commands.

How to make your local folder as a git repository

Prerequisites :

• Install git in your computer
• Go to github.com and create a repository. Copy the repository url, which is something like this. ex: https://github.com/username/repoName.git
• Keep the github login credentials handy. Git prompts you for credentials while pushing the code

Steps :

In command prompt go to the folder which you want to link up with a remote git repository. And type

git init

Connect to your remote repository using

git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repoName.git

Add the files/folders you want to push to remote repo using

git add /folder/filename.extension

or

git add /folder/*.extension

Then commit your added files with a commit message

git commit -m 'Initial commit'

Now push the code to remote using

git push -u origin branchName

example : git push -u origin master

Hurray..!! Great Job, Now if you go to your github repository you can see all the code you have just pushed.

How to Clone the existing repository

In general we will not push the code directly to master branch, because master branch is the branch which will be used as a base for all the team. If we push the code with errors directly to master branch it will affect the entire team. So first we need to push the code to a secondary branch, if everything is okay then we will merge that to master branch. So we create a separate branch for our work and if every thing is okay on that branch, then we will merge that branch to the master/intended branch. usually a 3 level structure is followed.

So every individual work goes to the intermediate base branch, if everything is okay from that branch then that branch will be merged to the master branch.

To clone the existing remote repository

git clone username@https://github.com/username/repoName.git:/path/to/repository

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To get the latest changes from remote to local

git pull origin/branchName

Another way :
checkout to the branch in local and then

git fetch --al

git rebase origin/branchName

How to manage local branches

Creating a branch in local: Always create a new branch from the latest code of your base branch. So every time get the latest changes form remote repo and then create the new branch in local. Create the new branch from the base branch.
Check out to the base branch:

git checkout branchName

Get the latest code from remote:

git fetch --al

git rebase origin/branchName

creating a new branch:

git checkout -b branchName

(All the local changes you did on base branch will also exported to new branch that you create.)

Other useful commands :

list the local branches :

git branch

Delete an unwanted branch : (you cant do this when you are on the branch that you are trying to delete)

git branch -D branchName

Handle with code related stuff

To see the local changes:

git status

To see what you have changed in a specific file :

git diff /folder/filename.extension

use :q to come back

to force push any changes:

git push --force origin branchName