Git Recipes - Collaboration

Keys

Key or symbol	Interpretation
<…>	Placeholder with possible formatting hints. You can use whatever name you want or appropriate, however, the same placeholder corresponds to the same item in this document.
project	Centrally stored (e.g. on GitHub/GitLab), collectively developped repository you have forked.
default	The main branch of the project. It is usually called master.
local	A copy of a fork of the project on your computer obtained via git clone.
feature	Certain coding task, e.g. recitifying an issue or enhancing/adding functionality to the project.
remoterepository	Link to another fork of the project via git remote.
remoteuser	Another user also developping the project through his/her fork.
remotebranch	A branch in the remotuser’s repository.
review	Evaluate and modify a pull request (if needed).

Use cases

Add link to another fork repository

Linking forks to your local repository allows you to pull commits from or push to that fork stored on GitHub/GitLab. When you clone a repository, the link original is created automatically. Sometimes, you may want to add further links for the use cases mentioned below.

You can add link to the project:

git remote add <project> <https://github.com/group/project.git>
git remote update

You can also add link to another fork of the project:

git remote add <remoteuser> <https://github.com/remoteuser/project.git>
git remote update

Extend the project with a feature

1. Make sure that there is a link to the project
2. Create a new local branch based on the default branch of the project to collect commits for the feature

   git checkout -b <feature> <project>/<default>
   

3. Edit and commit
4. Push the feature branch to your fork

   git push -u origin <feature>
   

5. Create pull request from feature branch of your fork to defaut branch of the project

Review pull request

Reviewing pull requests is an essential part of collaboration. Here you download the updated code, test it, and send recommendations to the submitter so that (s)he can incorporate them into his/her repository (and automatically the pull request, as well).

1. Make sure that there is a link to the remoteuser’s fork of project
2. Retrieve the pull request by checking out the remotebranch from where the PR had been submitted

   git checkout -b <review> <remoteuser>/<remotebranch>
   

3. Edit, commit, and push the review branch to your fork

   git push -u origin <review>
   

4. Create pull request from review branch of your fork to remotebranch of the remoteuser/project