[Tutor] Questions (and initial responses) on using version control [Was: Introductory questions on test-driven development and implementing Git version control.]

[boB Stepp]

On Sat, Apr 25, 2015 at 10:30 AM, boB Stepp <robertvstepp at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 7:36 PM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>>On Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 02:09:45PM -0500, boB Stepp wrote:
>
> [...]
>
>>> And what would be the best approach to integrating Git with these
>>> efforts? Just how often does one commit one's code to the version
>>> control system? Or do I have some GCEs (Gross Conceptual Errors) here?
>>> Can Git be set up to automatically keep track of my code as I create
>>> and edit it?

[...]

>>The executive summary of how I use version control:
>
>>- work on bite-sized chunks of functionality
>>- when the tests all pass, commit the work done
>>- push changes to the master repo at least once per day
>
>
>>The way I use version control on my own is that I have typically use a
>>single branch. I rarely have to worry about contributions from others,
>>so it's just my changes. Make sure that all the relevent files (source
>>code, documentation, tests, images, etc.) are being tracked. Static
>>files which never change, like reference materials, should not be.
>
>>Starting from a point where all the tests pass, I decide to work on a
>>new feature, or fix a bug. A feature might be something as small as "fix
>>the documentation for this function", but *not* as big as "control
>>remote controlled space ship" -- in other words, a bite-sized chunk of
>>work, not a full meal. I write some tests, and write the minimal amount
>>of code code that makes those tests pass:
>
>>- write tests
>>- save tests
>>- write code
>>- save code
>>- run tests
>>- fix bugs in tests
>>- save tests
>>- write some more code
>>- save code
>>- run tests again
>>- write some more code
>>- save code
>>- run tests again
>
>
>>etc. Once the tests pass, then I have a feature and/or bug fix, and I
>>commit all the relevent changes to the VCS. hg automatically tracks
>>files, git requires you to remind it every single time what files are
>>being used, but either way, by the time I run `hg commit` or `git
>>commit` I have a complete, and hopefully working, bite-sized chunk of
>>code that has an obvious commit message:
>
>>"fix bug in spam function"
>>"correct spelling errors in module docs"
>>"rename function ham to spam"
>>"change function eggs from using a list to a dict"
>>"move class K into its own submodule"
>
>>etc. Notice that each change is small enough to encapsulate in a short
>>description, but big enough that some of them may require multiple
>>rounds of back-and-forth code-and-test before it works.
>
>>I run the tests even after seemingly innoculous changes to comments or
>>docstrings, especially docstrings. Edits to a docstring may break your
>>doctests, or even your code, if you accidentally break the quoting.
>
>>Then, when I am feeling satisfied that I've done a sufficiently large
>>amount of work, I then push those changes to the master repo (if any).
>>This allows me to work from various computers and still share the same
>>code base. "Sufficiently large" may mean a single change, or a full
>>day's work, or a whole lot of related changes that add up to one big
>>change, whatever you prefer. But it shouldn't be less than once per day.

Thanks for taking the time to share your workflow. It is very helpful for me.

> [...]
>
>>> And I would like to have all of that under version control, too. But
>>> while I am allowed to write my own programs for this CSA, I am not
>>> allowed to install anything else, strange as this may sound! Since the
>>> only functional editors in these bare-bones Solaris 10 environments
>>> are some simplistic default editor that I do not know the name of and
>>> vi, I long ago gravitated to doing my actual coding on my Windows PC
>>> (Being careful to save things with Unix line endings.) and FTPing to
>>> the environments where these programs will actually run. I AM allowed
>>> to install anything I want (within reason)on my PC. So I am thinking
>>> install and use Git there?
>
>>Yes.

This is what I plan to do. I have started reading the free online
book, "Pro Git--Everything You Need to Know About Git, 2nd ed., c2014,
which is accessible via the Git website. I also watched the video
about Git for 4-year olds. Long video, but it gave a good overview of
the Git way of implementing things. Again, thanks!

I think that after reading the first two chapters of the book, I will
know more than enough to get started. In actuality, after watching the
video last night, I could probably get going now. But I am an
inveterate book reader...

boB