GitCommands.md

Git Commands Reference

Adding a New Repository to GitHub

1. Navigate to project folder:

   cd /path/to/your/project

2. Initialize Git repository:

   git init

3. Add remote repository:

   git remote add origin https://github.com/YourUsername/your-repository.git

4. Add files to staging:

   git add .

5. Commit changes:

   git commit -m "Initial commit message"

6. Push to GitHub:

   git push -u origin master  # Or 'main' if your GitHub repo uses main branch

Force Local Files to Replace Repository Files

1. Navigate to project:

   cd C:\Users\amnic\OneDrive\Desktop\Coding\Git\ProjectName

2. Initialize and stage:

   git init

   git add .

   git commit -m "Initial commit of ProjectName"

3. Configure remote:

   git branch --unset-upstream

   git remote -v

   git remote set-url origin https://github.com/YourUsername/your-repository.git

4. Push and update branches:

   git push -u origin master

   git branch -m master main

   git fetch origin

   git push -f origin main

   git push origin --delete master

Cloning GitHub Repository

1. Get the HTTPS URL from GitHub repository

   • Go to repository on GitHub.com
   • Click green "Code" button
   • Copy the HTTPS URL

2. Navigate to desired directory

   cd your/desired/directory

3. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/YourUsername/your-repository.git

4. Enter the project directory

   cd your-repository

Cleaning Repository History

1. Navigate to repository:

   cd /path/to/your/project

2. Create backup branch:

   git checkout -b backup-main

3. Return to primary branch:

   git checkout master  # or 'main' depending on your branch name

4. Clean repository history:

   git filter-branch --force --index-filter "git rm --cached --ignore-unmatch PATH-TO-FILE" --prune-empty --tag-name-filter cat -- --all

5. Force push changes:

   git push origin --force --all

This process rewrites repository history to remove sensitive information from previous commits while preserving current code.

Resolving Main/Master Branch Conflicts

1. Rename local branch to main:

   git branch -M main

2. Pull remote changes with unrelated histories:

   git pull origin main --allow-unrelated-histories

3. Push changes to main branch:

   git push -u origin main

This process synchronizes repositories when working across multiple machines and resolves branch naming conflicts.

Removing Files from Repository

1. Remove file and stage deletion:

   git rm filename

2. Commit the removal:

   git commit -m "Remove file"

3. Push changes to remote:

   git push origin main  # or master depending on branch name

Managing File Contents

1. Create backup of original files (optional):

   cp file1.md file1_backup.md
   cp file2.md file2_backup.md

2. Edit files with new content

3. Stage and commit changes:

   git add .
   git commit -m "Reorganized file contents"

4. Push to remote:

   git push origin master

Pulling Changes from Repository

1. Check remote repository status:

   git remote -v

2. Fetch latest changes:

   git fetch origin

3. Pull changes from remote:

   git pull origin main

4. Pull with specific options:

   git pull --rebase origin main

Handling Vim Editor in Git

1. When Vim appears (usually during merge operations):

   • You'll see a text editor interface with merge message
   • Cursor will be at the top of the file

2. Basic Vim commands for editing:

   i           # Enter insert mode (allows typing)

   Esc        # Exit insert mode

   :wq        # Save and exit (write and quit)

   :q!        # Exit without saving (quit without write)

3. Common workflow:

   • Press 'i' to enter insert mode
   • Type your merge message
   • Press 'Esc' to exit insert mode
   • Type ':wq' and press Enter to save and exit

This process handles the Vim editor that appears during Git merge operations or when Git needs a detailed commit message.