Workflow Guide

This guide will help you understand the Git workflow on each step of the process.

Visual Representation

Here is a simple visual representation of the Git workflow:

git add –> git commit –> git push

1. Working Directory

The working directory is where you create and modify your files. This is the starting point of the Git workflow.

2. Staging Area

The staging area is where you prepare your files for the next commit. You can think of it as a temporary holding area for your files before they are committed to the local repository.

3. Local Repo

The local repository is where all your commits are stored. This is the central location for all your changes.

4. Remote Repo

The remote repository is a copy of your local repository that is stored on a remote server. This is where you push your changes to share them with others.

Overview of Git Workflow

Create an issue: You identify a problem or a feature that you want to implement.
Create a branch: You create a new branch from the main branch (usually called “master”).
Make changes: You make changes to the code in your branch.
Commit changes: You commit your changes to the branch.
Push changes: You push your changes to the remote repository.
Create a merge request: You create a merge request to merge your branch into the main
Review and merge: The merge request is reviewed and merged into the main branch.
Delete branch: The branch is deleted.
Update main branch: The main branch is updated with the new changes.
Repeat: The process is repeated for each new feature or bug fix.

Step-by-Step Git Workflow

Here is a step-by-step guide to the Git workflow:

Step 1: Create an Issue

You identify a problem or a feature that you want to implement.

Go to the GitLab repo
Click Issues on the side panel
Click New issue/New item
Add type of issue, title and description
Select label: scope and type
Assign to a team member/self
Click Create issue

Step 2: Repository Setup

Before you start coding, you need to set up your repository if you haven’t already done so.

Initialize Repo:
```
git init
```

Set User Info:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"

git config --global user.email "your_email@example.com"

Clone Repository:
```
git clone [repository-url]
```
Link Remote Repository:
```
git remote add origin [repository-url]
```

Step 3: Create a Branch

Please follow the contributing guidelines for the best practices.

Create Branch:
```
git branch [branch-name]  
```
Switch Branch:
```
git checkout [branch-name]  
```
Create & Switch:
```
git checkout -b [branch-name]  
```

Step 4: Basic Workflow

Add Changes:
```
git add .
```

Commit Changes:

git commit -m "type(scope): meaningful message"

Push Changes:
```
git push -u origin [branch-name]
```
Pull Updates:
This will fetch and merge to your local.
```
git pull origin [branch-name]
```
Fetch Updates (without merging):
```
git fetch origin [branch-name]
```

Continue Changes

If you want to make future changes to the code, you can use the following commands:

git add .  
git commit -m "type(scope): meaningful message"  
git push

This command stages all changes, commits them with a meaningful message, and pushes them to the remote repository.

Create Merge Request

To create a merge request:

Go to the GitLab repo
Click slide panel Merge requests –> New merge request
Add a title and description
Use key word Closes with issue # associated to the issue to automatically resolve the issue.

Rebase

If there are any merge conflicts with your code, please resolve it by following merge-rebase.

Merge Request Approval

Go to the GitLab repo
Click Merge requests
Review the MR
Click Merge
Click Confirm merge
Delete the branch if no longer needed.