Git Workflow

The basic git workflow is that developers should fork the repository and develop in feature branches, then send pull requests to the main nanograv/PINT github repository. Some useful commands for doing that are documented here.

Set up forked repository

• Fork the nanograv/PINT repository with the github web interface and check it out to your local machine with git clone
• Set up upstream tracking of the main repo with this command (the upstream repo will be called nanograv):
• git remote add nanograv https://github.com/nanograv/PINT.git

To update local master with nanograv/master

• git fetch nanograv
• git checkout master
• git merge nanograv/master

Add a feature branch

• git branch my_feature
• git checkout my_feature
• [edit files]
• Note that while you are editing your feature, it is best not to push your feature branch up to github
• git commit # Make sure you use useful commit messages.
• Repeat

When you are ready to merge your changes with nanograv/PINT

• First, make sure that the test suite run-tests.sh runs without error. Fix any issues
• Update your master with nanograv/master as described above
• Rebase your feature onto the master, and resolve any conflicts. This way the person contributing a feature is responsible for making sure it works with the main branch.
• git checkout my_feature
• git rebase master
• Edit the CHANGELOG to briefly describe new features or API changes included in your branch
• Then push to github and set the local and remote branches to track one another
• git push -u origin my_feature
• At this point, you can do a pull request
• If any changes are requested by the nanograv maintainer, make additional commits and git push. These will get added to the pull request
• When the pull request is merged by the maintainer, delete your feature branch locally and on github
• git branch -d my_feature
• git push origin --delete my_feature