Git Commands

Here’s exactly what to type in your terminal at each step of the workflow. You can refer back to this page any time.

Opening a terminal

• Windows: Press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter. Or search for “Command Prompt”.
• Mac: Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter.
• Linux: Press Ctrl + Alt + T or open Terminal through your desktop environment’s app launcher.

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1. Pull the Latest Changes

Always do this before starting any new work:

git checkout main
git pull

This switches you to the main branch and downloads any new changes.

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2. Create Your Branch

Replace your-name/feature-name with something descriptive:

git checkout -b your-name/feature-name

Examples:

• git checkout -b alex/add-walk-sound
• git checkout -b sam/fix-wall-collision
• git checkout -b jordan/npc-interact-revamp

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3. Make Your Changes

Work normally; write code, add files, whatever you’re working on. Git is watching, but won’t do anything until you tell it to.

You can check what you’ve changed at any time:

git status

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4. Commit Your Work

When you’re ready to save a checkpoint:

git add .
git commit -m "Short description of what you changed"

git add . stages all your changed files. git commit saves the snapshot.

Committing often is good

You don’t have to finish everything before committing. Saving small commits as you go (e.g. “Add player walking animation”, then later “Add footstep sound”) makes your work easier to review and easier to undo if something goes wrong.

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5. Push to GitHub

Upload your branch so it exists online:

git push origin your-name/feature-name

Use the same branch name you created in Step 2.

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6. Open a Pull Request

1. Go to the repository on github.com
2. You’ll see a yellow banner: “your-branch had recent pushes”. Click Compare & pull request
3. Write a clear title and description
4. Click Create pull request

That’s it! A club president will review it and either approve it or leave feedback.

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7. If Changes Are Requested

Make the changes on your branch, then:

git add .
git commit -m "Address review feedback"
git push origin your-name/feature-name

The PR updates automatically, no need to open a new one.