Avoiding the Git of Despair

Back end developers have it easy. Just miles and miles of text-based code. Site builders, on the other hand, have to rely on point-and-click exportables from CTools / Features. Let's face it, there's a lot of magic going on, and it doesn't always go well. In this session we'll explore where all that stuff *goes* so that you're not constantly tripping over yourself in Git.

More specifically:

• 10,000ft view of how Git works with a deployment landscape (dev/stage/prod)
• 5,000ft view of how branches work, and what to do in Git world before you export a Feature
• on-the-ground look at the commands you'll need to run once a Feature is exported so you can share it with others
• 5,000ft view of why you don't want to work on the same feature as someone else if you can avoid it
• on-the-ground look at Feature-related merge conflicts just in case it happens to you

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Describe a basic Git branching strategy, and how it relates to a typical dev/stage/prod infrastructure
• Recall the Git commands you need to add a new Feature to your Git repository
• Describe what a Git conflict is and how to recover from it

Throughout this session we'll explore the problems you might run into when working with Drupal-generated configuration files and Git. Although we'll focus on Drupal 7 and the Features module, the high level concepts will apply equally to other modules (and versions of Drupal!)

Resources

• Slides without notes.
• Slides with notes.