Git Version Control
Git is a powerful version control system that helps you track changes to your code, collaborate with others, and maintain a history of your project. Positron provides built-in Git integration that works seamlessly with Git repositories.
What is Git?
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in your files over time. It allows you to:
- Keep a complete history of your project
- Work on different features simultaneously using branches
- Collaborate with others on the same codebase
- Revert to previous versions when needed
- Merge changes from different contributors
Getting started with Git
Set up Git in Positron
Before you can use Git in Positron, you need to have Git installed on your computer. If Git is not installed, the Source Control view will show instructions on how to install it.
Learn more: Set up Git in VS Code
Open a Git repository
Positron provides a few ways to work with Git repositories:
- Open Folder to open an existing Git repository that you already have locally
- New Folder from Template to create a new folder locally, with the option to initialize it as a Git repository
- New Folder from Git to clone an existing Git repository from a remote source like GitHub
These options are available from the Welcome screen when you are not already in a folder/workspace, or you can access them later through the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P) by searching for Workspaces: New Folder from Git… or Workspaces: New Folder from Template….
Initialize Git in an existing project
If you are working with an existing project that does not use Git, you can also initialize a Git repository within Positron:
- Open your project folder in Positron
- Open the Source Control view from the Activity Bar
- Click Initialize Repository to create a new Git repository in your current folder
This creates a .git
folder in your project directory and begins tracking your files.
If you are a more advanced Git user, consider installing the GitLens extension for extended Git capabilities in Positron.
Basic Git workflow
Staging and committing changes
The basic Git workflow involves making changes to your files, then staging and committing those changes:
- Make changes to your files in Positron
- Stage changes by selecting which files to include in your next commit
- Commit changes with a descriptive message about what you changed
- Push changes to share them with others, when you have setup a remote repository like GitHub or GitLab
The Source Control view in Positron shows all your changed files and makes it easy to stage and commit changes with a few clicks.
Learn more: Staging and committing code changes
Syncing with Remote Repositories
When working with a remote repository like GitHub, you can sync changes between your local and remote repositories:
- Push your local commits to the remote repository
- Pull changes from the remote repository to your local copy
- Sync to both push and pull changes at once
Learn more: Pushing and pulling remote changes
Working with branches
Branches allow you to work on different features or experiments without affecting your main line of development:
- Create branches for new features or bug fixes
- Switch between branches to focus on different development efforts within your project
- Create pull requests to propose changes and solicit feedback from colleagues or continuous integration services
- Merge branches to incorporate changes into the main branch
Learn more: Using branches
Handling merge conflicts
Merge conflicts occur when Git cannot automatically combine changes from different branches. When this happens, Positron displays conflicted files in the Source Control view with a warning icon.
Positron provides a 3-way merge editor to help you resolve conflicts by choosing which changes to accept. You can also resolve conflicts manually by editing the file directly and removing the conflict markers.
Learn more: Merge conflicts in VS Code
Integration with Git platforms
Positron includes the GitHub and GitHub Pull Requests and Issues extensions out of the box, which let you manage GitHub repositories, issues, and PRs directly from within Positron. You can learn more about the extensions that Positron automatically installs for you on the Extensions page.
Other platforms are not integrated by default, but similar features are available after installing extensions like GitLab Workflow or Atlassian: Jira & Bitbucket. You can search in the Extensions pane to find other extensions for the Git platform you use.
Additional Resources
- Introduction to Git in VS Code: Comprehensive guide with screenshots and examples
- Git Documentation: Official Git documentation
- GitHub Docs: Learn GitHub-specific features
- Learn Git Branching: Visual and interactive way to learn Git
- Happy Git and GitHub for the useR: A guide for R users to learn Git and GitHub