Git: for Technical Writers
If you’re coming to this article you’re probably looking at how to use Git.
The setup and basic use is easier than it looks.
First, get started in the Command Line. GitHub has a nice tutorial that will get you going.
The commands you’ll be using the most are:
Add — add changes to the directory you’re working in.
Commit — commits changes.
Push/Pull — changes to remote.
Branch — displays all the branches.
Merge — merges branches.
A typical git workflow has a single master branch. Each change needs to be made in a feature branch. When the feature is finished it gets pushed to the master branch where it is merged.
Sometimes, feature branches will have versions attached to it in which case, the new version gets merged to the branch before being pushed back to the master branch.
There are times when a bug or typo has been introduced and a quick fix is needed. These are called a hotfix and can be branched off the master branch. Once the fix has been introduced it can be safely merged back to the master branch.
Does your team use Git for documentation? If so let me know in the comments bellow.