GitHowTo

How to use git with Macaulay2

Install git, if necessary, by getting it here:

• http://git-scm.com/

The follow the instructions in one of the following two sections.

For non-package-developers

To get the source code of Macaulay2 if you are not a package developer, one "clones" our git repository with the following shell command:

• git clone https://github.com/Macaulay2/M2

The source code will appear in a directory called M2, which you may rename if you wish. In that directory you can find the following items of interest:

• The source code for the package Foo: the file M2/Macaulay2/packages/Foo.m2 and possibly the directory M2/Macaulay2/packages/Foo/ and its contents.
• The instructions for building Macaulay2: M2/INSTALL

For package developers

Start by "forking" the Macaulay2 repository, by following the following steps in a browser.

• Create a github account at https://github.com/
  • We'll assume below that your user name is JohnDoe.
• Add your ssh key at https://github.com/settings/ssh
• Fork M2 at https://github.com/Macaulay2/M2/fork

Tell git what your name and email address are, for correct labelling of your updates, with commands like:

• git config --global user.name "John Doe"
• git config --global user.email [email protected]

Then use the following shell command to get a copy of your copy of the source code of Macaulay2:

• git clone [email protected]:JohnDoe/M2

Edit and test your code. Whenever you want to send your changes to your local copy of M2, proceed as follows:

• Review the status of your files with
  • git status
• Review your changes, if necessary, with git diff
• Add the files whose changes are to be committed with git add FILENAME ...
• Commit the files to your local copy of the repository:
  • Issue the command git commit
  • An editor window will pop up in which you should type a message describing the changes, with this format:
    • First line is 50 characters or less
    • Then a blank line
    • Remaining text should be wrapped at 72 characters
• An alternative to the two steps above, if you are ready to commit all the files that you have changed, is git commit -a
• Push the commited changes to your fork of M2 at github: git push

Repeat at will. Whenever you want to send your changes to the central Macaulay2 repository, do this in a browser:

• Issue a pull request at https://github.com/JohnDoe/M2/pull/new/master, or find the pull request button on the page of your fork at https://github.com/JohnDoe/M2.

To import the latest changes from the Macaulay2 repository into your repository and try to merge your code with them, use:

• git pull https://github.com/Macaulay2/M2 master

To import the latest changes from the Macaulay2 repository into your repository without trying to merge your code with them, use:

• git fetch https://github.com/Macaulay2/M2

To display the history of your changes graphically, use this command:

• gitk

To show the history of all of your branches and any branches imported from the Macaulay2 repository, use:

• gitk --all