Guide: Download Files From Github: Tips and Tutorials
If you’re familiar with Github, you know that it’s not immediately obvious how to download files from the platform. It’s one of the more complicated platforms, designed for development rather than direct file sharing. Granted, one of the great things about Github is that all public repositories are open source and people are encouraged to contribute - there are private repositories, but these are generally used for development purposes within companies that don’t want their code seen by the public. However, Github still handles file downloads differently from other places. ..
If you’re not quite sure how to download project files (or entire projects) from Github, we’ll show you how. Let’s start. ..
Download a file
Public repositories are codebases that are open source and can be downloaded for free. Unless the codebase owner ticks a box otherwise, their codebase can be downloaded to your computer packaged in a .zip file.
If you go to a public codebase – like this one Tip Calculator I built – you will see that in the top right corner is a green button that says Clone or download. Click the button, then select from the drop-down list Download ZIP. All files are downloaded to your computer, usually in your Downloads folder.
Open your Downloads folder on your computer and locate the ZIP file. Right-click on it and choose the option “Unzip” or “Uncompress”. Then select a folder where you want the files to end up.
After you’ve selected the folder where you downloaded the Github files, open it and you’ll find all of the files we downloaded! ..
That Wes Bos’s JavaScript 30 repository on Github has a much larger codebase is evident by the number of files it contains. ..
There is a better way to “download” files
While the way we have outlined is simple and straightforward, it is most optimal for viewing the code files, not for experimentation. If you plan to download Github files to experiment with, the best way is to ‘split’ the project. A fork is simply your own copy of a repository.
Forking a repository has a number of advantages. For example, you can find a bug in my Tip Calculator or you want to add your own calculator features. So you can be my Tip Calculator, make a copy on your Github account. Here you can fiddle with and experiment with the code without affecting the original project as this would be your copy or ‘fork’.
To fork a public repository on Github, you first need to create an account. After you have created your account, go to www.github.com and click on the “Forks” button in the top right corner of the homepage. This will take you to the Fork page where you will need to enter the name of your fork and choose a branch from which to start forking. Once you have made these choices, click on the “Fork” button at the bottom of the page. Now that you have forked a repository, all future commits that are made to that repository will be associated with your fork instead of with the original repository owner’s fork. To make changes to your copy of the repository, you will first need to clone it using the git clone command: git clone https://github.com/username/repo-name.git . After cloning your copy of the repository, make any changes that you want and then commit them by issuing a git commit command: git commit -am ‘added some content’ . Finally, push your changes up to GitHub by issuing a git push command: git push origin master . ..
After creating your account, you can split a public repository to your account. For example, you can go to the public repository for Wes Bos’s 30 days of JavaScript training and in the top right corner you will see a button that says Fork. Click on the button.
When you clone a project on GitHub, the repository will be cloned into your own account. You can verify this by looking in your profile and selecting the “Your warehouses” option. Once you have cloned the project, it will be listed under your username in the “Your repositories” section of your profile. ..
If you want to change or add code to a project that you don’t own, you can do so without affecting the original project files. This is called a “Pull Request” and it can be discussed with the project owner. If the owner approves the change, it can be merged into the original codebase as production code. ..
Closing
Github is a great way to get your code up and running quickly. Just a few minutes of work can get you up and running with a project on your computer or even split it across multiple Github accounts. It’s easy to mess with the code in your fork, and you can even make your first pull request in the end! Have fun coding!
Download Files From Github: Tips and Tutorials: benefits
Faq
Final note
If you’re looking for tips and tutorials on how to download files from Github, then this guide is for you! In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best ways to do just that. If you have any questions or queries about this guide, feel free to ask us in the comments below or on social media. Finally, please share this article with your friends and family so they can get a little more insight into how to download files from Github.
If you have any queries about the guide “Download Files From Github: Tips and Tutorials”, then please ask us through the comment section below or directly contact us. If you want to correct any misinformation about the guide, then please contact us.
