Your team has been asked to reconcile and normalize your digital object metadata prior to migrating into Hyrax. You all want to be able to work on the project at the same time, but they have run into problems doing this in the past. If you take turns, each of you will spend a lot of time waiting for the other to finish, but if you work on your their own copies and share changes back and forth things may be lost, overwritten, or duplicated.
This is one of the situations that version control was designed to help with. Instead of sharing files back and forth, we track changes in a version control system:
Nothing that is committed to version control is ever lost, unless you work really, really hard at it. Since all old versions of files are saved, it’s always possible to go back in time to see exactly who changed what on a particular day, or what version of a program was used to generate a particular set of results.
As we have this record of who made what changes when, we know who to ask if we have questions later on, and, if needed, revert to a previous version, much like the “undo” feature in an editor.
When several people collaborate in the same project, it’s possible to accidentally overlook or overwrite someone’s changes. The version control system automatically notifies users whenever there’s a conflict between one person’s work and another’s.
Teams are not the only ones to benefit from version control: individuals can also benefit immensely. Keeping a record of what was changed, when, and why is extremely useful for any person if they ever need to come back to the project later on (e.g., a year later, when memory has faded). It can also be helpful when creating formal project documentation following the conclusion of a project, or when planning similar projects in the future.
Version control isn’t just for software, either: books, papers, documentation, metadata, and anything that changes over time or needs to be shared can and should be stored in a version control system.
| Setup | Download files required for the lesson | |
| 00:00 | 1. Automated Version Control | What is version control and why should I use it? |
| 00:05 | 2. Setting Up Git | How do I get set up to use Git? |
| 00:10 | 3. Creating a Repository and Tracking Changes |
Where does Git store information?
How do I record changes in Git? How do I check the status of my version control repository? How do I record notes about what changes I made and why? |
| 00:30 | 4. Exploring History |
How can I identify old versions of files?
How do I review my changes? How can I recover old versions of files? |
| 00:55 | 5. Ignoring Things | How can I tell Git to ignore files I don’t want to track? |
| 01:00 | 6. Working with Branches |
What are branches and why should I use them?
How do I merge one branch into another? |
| 01:30 | 7. Remotes | How do I share my changes with others on the web? |
| 02:00 | 8. Collaborating | How can I use version control to collaborate with other people? |
| 02:25 | 9. Graphical User Interface (GUIs) | Are there Git GUI applications that I can use? |
| 02:30 | 10. Conflicts | What do I do when my changes conflict with someone else’s? |
| 02:45 | Finish |
The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.