Introduction to GitHub

Setup used: Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, Xcode 4.5.1. The version of PhoneGap is not an issue in this article.

Xcode allows us to add source control to a project, such as online by using GitHub.com, or just publishing it locally. With source control on github.com, we could go backward and forward in time to various stages of code changes, and even create a new branch to test or create a different version of the project. That collection of a project’s files is called a repository. GitHub.com allows us to create public repositories (free) or private (paid monthly).

There are several helpful tutorials on how to start a GitHub repository (git repo) when starting a new Xcode 4 project, but I wanted to learn how to create a git repo from an existing Xcode 4 project where the repository option had not been checked when starting up.

Xcode already allows us to make a Snapshot of a project’s state and get back to it, but a GitHub repository has extra advantages of being able to share your code with others as well as store it offsite. I wanted to write about a how-to article on a recent project I worked on and make it available to everyone for download. It was a great time to try out GitHub.com. My final modest effort is seen here: https://github.com/iPhoneDevLog/fonts-bookmarks-notes