Drupal: Using Git

This information pertains to groups that are planning to do custom development within Drupal. Custom development includes:

  • Coding your own sub-theme
  • Developing your own modules
  • Using contributed modules that are not part of the standard modules offered as part of the enterprise implementation

About Git

Git is a revision control system in wide use at the University and around the world. It tracks changes made to the files as you work with them. Usually, Git is used to track text files containing computer code. A folder of files that are tracked using Git makes up a repository. To learn more about using Git, view the tutorials on the Git website. 

About the UMN GitHub

GitHub is a tool that helps manage Git repositories by maintaining versions of the code, and allowing easy collaboration among multiple people working on the same project, so that their changes can add to each other's work instead of overwriting them.  More information about GitHub is available on the GitHub website.  The University offers a locally hosted implementation of GitHub at github.umn.edu

Setup GitHub for Drupal

A GitHub repository is only needed if you will be putting in custom code (modules, themes, etc.)

  1. Create an organization (optional but strongly recommended)
  2. Create a repository that is publicly available (the code will be visible to anyone who is logged into the UMN GitHub)