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Git GUI Clients (1), Visual Studio

Note: this article is published on 05/13/2024.

This is a series of articles related to Git GUI Clients.

Note. Although Git is very popular in the software development process, there is no category defined in this C # Corner site. So, we put the articles under the DevOps category.

When we discuss these Client GUI for Git, we consentrate on these following features assiacted with the specific Client GUI::

  • Visual Studio, VS Code
    • Repos Management (Local):
      • Create a Repository, Branch
      • Clone a Repository
      • Merge, Rebase, Reset, Revert a Branch...
    • Interaction between Local Repos and Remote
      • Fetch
      • Pull
      • Push
      • Sync
    • Editor (+ the original environment funcitonalities, such as compiling, debugging and so on)
  • GitHub Desktop, TortoiseGit, SmartGit
    • Repos Management (Local)
    • Interaction between Local Repos and Remote
  • GitHub Server
    • Repos Management (Remote)
    • Interaction between Repos and Server automation (pipeline)

A - Introduction

In this article, we will describe Visual Studio as a GUI client and its major features. The content of this article:

  • A: Introduction
  • B: Visual Studio Team Explorer
  • C: Visual Studio Git Dropdown Menu
  • D: Visual Studio Integration with GitHub

B - Visual Studio Team Explorer

In this section, we will describ the Visual Studio Team Explorer: 

Visual Studio Team Explorer => Git Changes

Showing Git Changes Panel

Visual Studio Team Explorer => Git Repository

Showing Git Repository Panel

Click one commit => Showing the differences in the panel below:

Click the file in the lower right Panel (above) => Make the companring panel larger in main window:

Visual Studio Team Explorer => Manage Connections => Showing Connect Panel

Visual Studio Team Explorer => Settings

Showing Settings Panel

C - Visual Studio Git Dropdown Menu

In this section, we will describ the Visual Studio Git Dropdown Menu: 

Visual Studio Menu Bar => Git => Showing Git Dropdown List

Visual Studio Git Changes Panel =>  => Showing Git Dropdown List

Visual Studio Branches Panel => Right Click a Branch => Showing Git Dropdown List

You can also get the  Branches Panel => Click Branch sign  at Right Bottom Corner => Right Click a Branch => Showing Git Dropdown List

Visual Studio Local HistoryPanel => Right Click a Commit=> Showing Git Dropdown List

D - Visual Studio Intergration with GitHub

In this section, we will describ the integration between Visual Studio and GitHub, which will be similar to Visual Studio integration with GitLab and so on.

Seamless integration with GitHub:

Authenticate your GitHub.com or GitHub enterprise account to create a repository, and push your first commits to GitHub, all through Visual Studio.

Leverage AI with the power of GitHub Copilot:

Leverage Copilot completions and Copilot chat to supercharge your productivity in Visual Studio. Additionally, deep integrations like the generated Git commit messages allow you to apply AI benefits to specific tasks in your workflow.

Clone and code from within the IDE:

Browse your GitHub repositories, and clone your repo down to your local machine to start committing and pushing.

Create and push new repos

Take local code and push it to a new repository on GitHub in one step. Visual Studio handles the local and remote repository creation. You can even choose to make the repo completely private.

Branching, staging, and committing:

Create and switch between branches from the status bar. View your changes, stage the files you want to commit, and make commits with GitHub issue search in the Git Changes tool window.

Merge and Rebase:

Merge or rebase branches after completing features directly from within Visual Studio. You can also choose 
to merge or rebase when pulling, or prune branches when fetching.

Create a Pull Request:

Create a pull request from remote branches in the new pull request window. You can add your title, description with Markdown support, reviewers, and see your changes summarized all at once inside Visual Studio.

Resolve merge conflicts:

Visual Studio will recognize merge conflicts right when they occur, and show you the unmerged changes in the Git Changes window. The built-in merge editor takes you through each conflicting change, allowing you to take either the incoming or current side, and shows the result when you accept the merge.

Integrated CI/CD workflows with GitHub actions:

With Visual Studio Publish you can setup GitHub Actions for ASP.NET Core applications being deployed to Azure with ease. Visual Studio will generate a working GitHub Actions workflow for you with just a few clicks.

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