Chapter 6 Complete GitHub Workflow



Chapter introduction image



6.1 Getting Your Work on GitHub

Now that you have Git installed and authentication set up, let’s create your first repository and learn the simple workflow you’ll use every day.

6.2 Step 1: Create Repository on GitHub

  1. Click the green “New” button on GitHub
  2. Repository name: my-project (or whatever you prefer)
  3. Make it Public (required for free hosting)
  4. Don’t check “Add a README” (you already have one)
  5. Click “Create repository”

6.3 Step 2: Connect Your Local Site to GitHub

Copy the commands GitHub shows you, but here’s what you’ll run:

# Make sure you're in your project directory
cd ~/projects/my-project

# Create a sample file if you don't have any files yet
touch README.md
echo "# My Project" > README.md

# Add your changes
git add .
git commit -m "My project setup"

# Set branch to main (important!)
git branch -M main

# Connect to your GitHub repository
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/my-project.git

# Push to GitHub
git push -u origin main

Replace YOUR-USERNAME with your actual GitHub username.

6.4 Common Git Commands

Here are the only Git commands you need as a beginner:

6.4.1 See what’s changed

git status

6.4.2 Save changes locally

git add .
git commit -m "Description of what you changed"

6.4.3 Send to GitHub

git push

6.4.4 Get latest from GitHub (if editing from multiple computers)

git pull

6.5 Daily Workflow Example

Here’s what a typical day looks like:

Morning (if you work on multiple computers):

git pull    # Get any changes from other computers

After making changes:

git status  # See what you've changed
git add .   # Stage all changes
git commit -m "Updated content with new information"
git push    # Send to GitHub

That’s literally it! You now know everything you need to manage your project with Git and GitHub.

6.6 Common Commit Messages

Here are examples of good commit messages:

git commit -m "Added new content to main page"
git commit -m "Updated about section with new information"
git commit -m "Fixed typo in contact information"
git commit -m "Added image to about page"
git commit -m "Updated project documentation"

6.7 Troubleshooting

6.7.1 If you get an error about authentication:

  • Make sure you’re using your Personal Access Token (not your password)
  • Check that your token hasn’t expired
  • Review the authentication setup from Chapter 4

6.7.2 If you get merge conflicts:

  • This happens if you edit from multiple computers
  • Run git pull first, then resolve any conflicts in the files
  • Then git add ., git commit, and git push
  • If the merge conflict is not resolved, refer to my separate e-book on problems with diverging branches.

6.8 Next Steps

Congratulations! You now have:

  • ✅ Git installed and configured
  • ✅ GitHub account with secure authentication
  • ✅ Your first repository
  • ✅ A simple daily workflow

You’re ready to start building and maintaining your project with confidence!

What’s Next? Consider exploring:

  • GitHub Pages for hosting your project
  • Other hosting platforms for more advanced features
  • GitHub Desktop if you prefer a visual interface
  • VS Code integration for editing directly in your code editor