Git, GitHub, and R

GitHub is a site for sharing and collaborating on code, and for careful tracking of changes as you progress. As of right now, it is the best way to organize your work in R, to showcase it to employers, or to share it with collaborators.

Using Git and GitHub takes some getting used to, and can be frustrating at times even to experts. We will use it only in the most basic form in this course.

Time Estimates:

Videos: 45 min

Readings: 10 min

Activities: 30 min

Check-ins: 4

Extra Resources:

This Video provides a cheesy but cute introduction to GitHub.
GitHub Desktop is a nice client for interfacing with GitHub. I highly recommend downloading it if you have not used GitHub before.
This Video summarizes the basics of GitHub with R, and is a good reference if you return to this material after your first pass through.

Introduction to Git and GitHub

Required Video: Intro to Git and Github

Check-In 1: Make a GitHub Account

Create an account on GitHub.com, if you have not already.

Ideally, your username will be related to your real name, e.g. “kbodwin” rather than “SuperKrazy2000”. However, this is not required; choose whatever username you prefer.

Check-In 2: Make a repository

Create a private repository called “Test Repo”.

Create a new text file called “My favorite”. Copy-paste your favorite quote or poem into the file.

Take a screenshot of your repository. It should look similar to 9:43 of the video.

Branches and Pull Requests

Required Video: Branching

Check-In 3: Make a branch and pull request

Create a new branch of your “Test Repo” repository.
Name this branch after your favorite animal.

In this branch, replace a word in your text file with the animal’s name.

Create a Pull Request to your master branch from your new branch.

Take a screen shot of your completed pull request. It should look like 8:14 of the video.

Git and RStudio

Required Video: GitHub and RStudio

Check-In 4: Access GitHub from RStudio

Follow the instructions in the video to make a new R Project that is also a GitHub Repository.

Take a screenshot showing yourself committing to a new branch. It should look like 8:26 of the video.

Note: There are a lot of fiddly computer details that might prevent this from going as smoothly as in the video. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing something wrong! If you hit a snag, please contact Dr. B. to get help.

Renaming the `master` branch

Required Reading: Renaming the master branch

There is no Check-In for this reading; I ask only that you read the blog post and think carefully about the issues. Please do not skip this section.

If you do feel that you wish to rename your master branch, I am happy to help you through the process.