Git and GitHub Workshop

Workshop: Data Science Tools

Tyler George, Cornell College

Create GitHub accounts

You can create a free account at: https://github.com/

Git/GitHub terminology

• repository (files, their relationships, and their history)
• clone/fork (copying repos)
• pull (refresh your copy)
• pull-request (request your version gets merged back to the source)
• commit (changes to repo)
• push (push local the changes back to the source)
• merge (combine versions of files or repos)
• master/main (root directory of most git repos)
• branch (version of repo diverging from the original)
• fetch (update cloud version to your version)

Definitions at: https://www.pluralsight.com/resources/blog/cloud/git-terms-explained

GitHub Workflow

Credit: Robert B Cohen

How do you…

• Create a repository
• Open or view issues
• Clone a Repository
• Star a Repository
• Fork a repository
• Place a pull-request

GitHub Workflow

Credit: Robert B Cohen

Collaborate on repo - Follow Along

• Make Bios (R1)
• Fix Typos (R2)

• Fork repo: https://github.com/stats-tgeorge/G_GH_Workshop_2024.
• Click peoples_bios folder
• Click Add file, then create new file on the right
• Name your file with your last name, first initial (at the top). Example: George_T.md
• Write your bio in the document
• Click Commit changes… on the top right. Then Commit changes
• Navigate back to the main page of your Fork of the repo by clicking its name at the top
• Click Contribute in the middle of the page and then Open pull request
• Click Create pull request at the bottom.

• Update your fork by clicking the Sync Fork button on the repo homepage at https://github.com/stats-tgeorge/G_GH_Workshop_2024.
• Your Task: Fix my typos in the opening overview presentation I gave. The filename is Intro_Git_Github.qmd. You will need to edit that file, commit the changes, and then create a pull-request.

Accepting Contributors Work

• The owner of the repo can accept your pull-request and add your changes to the main repository

• This is just one way to use version control and collaborate on GitHub!

More Collaboration

• A repo can have many contributors with many different levels of access. Example: https://github.com/tidyverse/datascience-box

• Projects can be used to create boards (like Trello) to facilitate effective collaboration

Revert a change

• Reverting a change is one of the most important features of version control.

• Right now, it not possible on GitHub’s website

• I will show you how to revert a change on the GitHub desktop app

Teaching GitHub

• Teaching
• GitHub in Class

• Git/GitHub need to be learning objectives (Beckman, et. al, 2021)
• Use it to enhance learning and collaboration
• Give students a tasks that necessitate a team and the GitHub tools
• Projects and Kanban Boards

Using GitHub to Teach and More (1/2)

• To use some of GitHub’s features, others for free, rather than with a fee, you need to apply to GitHub Education as a teacher. https://docs.github.com/en/education/explore-the-benefits-of-teaching-and-learning-with-github-education/github-education-for-teachers/apply-to-github-education-as-a-teacher

• GitHub Classroom. https://docs.github.com/en/education/manage-coursework-with-github-classroom/teach-with-github-classroom

• GitHub organizations. Read more.

• Many instructors use GitHub organizations to create, share, and assign work to students with few, or many (over 500) repositories

• If using R, there are packages to support this, including ghclass and gradetools

Using GitHub to Teach and More (2/2)

• Cloning other’s resources (checking license first)
  • DSC 223 https://dsc223-sb7-2024.github.io/DSC223_S24_website/
  • STA 362 https://sta362-sb8-24.github.io/STA362StatLearning/
  • Originally Clones of Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel sites. https://mine-cr.com/teaching/
• GitHub Actions