demystify using GIT or any simple source control with visual studio

Lord all I ask is for some simple software that will maintain versions of my files and revert to ones I want.

Personally, I felt like just using a nice backup tool I have to just zip up a copy of my folder on another drive when I want. But they said I Have to use SOME source versioning.

Already posted the problem I had with SVN. Now its GIT.

I downloaded msysgit preview 1.7.2.3 from here http://code.google.com/p/msysgit/ Then GIT Extensions from the code.google.com Then I downloaded p4merge from here : http://www.perforce.com/perforce/downloads/index.html

I have Win7 x64 with VS2008. I see the GIT menu in VS, but nothing happens!? Jeez!

Worst, where are the docs? Whats Bash, Stash, Cherry Pick? Anything I click on the VS GIT toolbar or the Git Menu in VS does not do anything! I downloaded the complete setup : http://code.google.com/p/gitextensions/downloads/detail?name=GitExtensions203SetupComplete.msi&can=2&q= BUT I dont see KDiff3 anywhere on my pc? p4merge itself has its own problems asking me for some server address for config when I want everything local!

Could someone PLEASE suggest something hideously simple I dont do big projects, mostly all in house utilities, I'm a one man team and I like to keep it simple.

NOTE: I need something that works with Win7x64 and VS2010, vs2008 is on my home PC but VS10 on the dev box

I got confused about the installation process myself the first time around. Uninstall Git, P4Merge and Git Extensions, then run the "complete" MSI again. On the second page of the installer, press the Install Git button, then once that is complete, press the Install Kdiff button and accept the defaults, then proceed with the Git Extensions. You can accept the default on every option.

All the parts will then be automatically configured to work together, and the buttons and context menu items will work.

Good version control systems are inherently slightly complex because they do a very sophisticated job, so you have to approach them in the same way as any complex tool - start with a handful of simple functions and ignore all of the other stuff for now. Git Extensions includes a manual that shows you the basics (Start > Program Files > Git Extensions > User Manual).

Mercurial is a little more friendly, but I'm reluctant to recommend it because (sadly) it seems to have lost the popularity contest. If you want to work with other developers on projects outside of a corporate environment, it's increasing likely that you will be using Git.

hi tried that. When I run the complete install, when I click KDiff3 nothing happens, and there no kdiff.exe on my pc. When I click MsysGit I get this error: http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/060b2e3d53ada602cb006f560f77c71f6g.jpg

giddy 2010-09-27 15:46:25

So I played with it, I can see how to commit. I dont get the part about staging files? I have to stage all files before a commit? Also, to revert to a previous commit I click Git->View Changes->Right Click and select Checkout Revision. Is that how its done??

giddy 2010-09-27 16:36:49

Yes, each commit only contains the changes that you have decided to stage - this give you exact control. If you stage a directory, all of the changes to things inside the directory are staged, so you don't need to pick files one-by-one unless you want to.

Stuart Ellis 2010-09-27 19:30:08

If you use checkout on files then their working copies are changed to match the state of the revision that you specified. There are several ways to get at this. Git Extensions also puts right-click options into VS that lets you revert selected files to the latest commit (throwing away uncommitted changes). I actually use that feature a lot, much more often than I go back to previous commits.

Stuart Ellis 2010-09-27 19:45:55

@stuart: with regard to popularity of hg vs git, seems like mercurial is trending up... at least on stackoverflow http://stackoverflow.com/questions/995636/popularity-of-git-mercurial-bazaar-vs-which-to-recommend

radman 2010-09-28 04:29:44

Retype of the solution to the install problem: I ran command prompt as admin,ran the installer from the command line, everything installed perfect after that! Another option is to disable UAC

giddy 2010-09-28 05:18:30

On last question, commit only seems to work when I select a project in the solution explorer. Not when I select the whole solution, do I have to commit each project separately, no other options?

giddy 2010-09-28 05:42:29

@radman: Interesting - I wonder if the increase here is partly a result of Kiln, or if Mercurial has been picked over Git in closed environments? Git (and GitHub) now seem to becoming standards for almost all of the Open Source projects and communities that I look at regularly, so using it feels inevitable to me. For example it's entrenched in Fedora, Debian, Ruby and Clojure, getting there in .NET Open Source, PostgreSQL migrated recently, and Mozilla have just put a project on GitHub (despite being a Mercurial shop).

Stuart Ellis 2010-09-28 09:19:25

@Gideon - if you select a project in the Solution Explorer and press Commit then the Commit window displays unstaged and staged changes from all of the projects (and any changes to the solution itself). I don't know this why doesn't work if the solution is the current selection.

Stuart Ellis 2010-09-28 09:34:01

At the risk of sounding like a complete fanboy, I'd recommend that you check out Git Extensions. It bundles a stand-alone GUI, Visual Studio integration and some shell integration so you don't have to use the command-line shell until you want pretty advanced or obscure features. The included manual covers the basics well, and IIRC the screencasts linked to on the project site were straightforward.

Stuart Ellis 2010-09-27 20:59:17

Why is Git's Linux roots an obstacle? It works fine on Windows.

mathepic 2010-09-27 21:00:34

@M Noreen : I feel your plight, there isn't anything on all the options on Git, but GitExtenions is good stuff, only known issues (like i had) while installing on Win7 otherwise I was up and running really quick =)

giddy 2010-09-28 05:13:38

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demystify using GIT or any simple source control with visual studio

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