Git workflow overview

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hi,

Just to clarify things, the following illustrates the typical Git
workflow.

First, we need to get a copy of the repository:

  $ git-clone ssh://address@hidden/srv/git/guile.git
  $ cd guile

Then, imagine we want to fix something both in HEAD and 1.8.  We are
currently in `master' (the equivalent of HEAD), and it is the only
branch that we currently have:

  $ git-branch
  * master

Eventually, we'll want to do things in the `branch_release-1-8' branch
as well, so we need to create a local branch tracking the
`branch_release-1-8' branch at Savannah:

  $ git-branch --track branch_release-1-8 origin/branch_release-1-8
  Branch branch_release-1-8 set up to track remote branch 
refs/remotes/origin/branch_release-1-8.

We now have the two branches:

  $ git-branch 
    branch_release-1-8
  * master

We want to commit our fix to `master', then push it to the Savannah
repo's `master' branch (after making sure that we are up-to-date), then
to apply it to the 1.8 branch and push it:

    # hack the thing...
  $ git-commit -a -m "The fix."
  $ git-pull                # Check whether we're up-to-date.
  $ git-push
  $ git-checkout branch_release-1-8
  $ git-pull                # Update.
  $ git-cherry-pick master  # Apply the change we made in `master'.
    # fix any conflicts...
  $ git-push                # Push the change to `branch_release-1-8'.

That gives a rough overview of the thing.  For larger changes, it will
be better to use a separate branch locally, using `git-rebase' right
before merging it, etc.  There are surely good tutorials at
http://git.or.cz/ .

Enjoy!

Ludo'.