Cloning a Repository - msu-anthropology/indian-country-ss20 GitHub Wiki

Cloning is the process of saving a local copy of your repo to your own computer, so that you can make changes outside of the internet. A clone is simply a local version of a repo, which means it must be synced periodically with your version on the web. To do this, you must first download and install the GitHub Desktop program and make sure you have set up the program by logging into your account. This tutorial uses screenshots from the PC version of this application, but the majority of the steps should be the same for a Mac. The few steps that are drastically different will include screenshots for Mac.

FOR PC: To confirm you have logged into your account, locate the settings area of the application. It is the button that looks like a gear.

This will bring up a list of places to go to change various settings. Pick the one that says "Options..."

Here you find whether or not you are logged into your account. If you see your account, then great, if not, you'll see this view, with the option to "Add Account."

FOR MAC:To confirm you have logged into your account, click on "GitHub Desktop" in the Menu Bar at the top of the screen and choose "Preferences..." to open the Preferences window.

Click on the "Accounts" tab, and confirm that you are signed into your account. If you are not, add your credentials and click "Sign In."

To clone, go back to the repo on GitHub in your internet browser and click on the button that looks like a computer monitor with an arrow pointing down into it. This image depicts the top-right of the repo page.

This may open up a window that asks for permission to launch a program. Grant this permission.

This will launch your GitHub desktop application and will ask you where you will like to save the repo. It is best to keep all your cloned repos in a single folder titled GitHub. You can see here that my GitHub folder is inside my Documents folder.

After accepting the location, your clone is now on your computer. You will notice that the application shows the active branch at the top of the window. Please simply leave this setting alone and do not change between branches. This will make things easier for you for the duration of this project. If you do wish to understand how branch changes on a cloned repo work, please come and see me in LEADR.