.. _chapter-git-setup:
==============
Setting Up Git
==============
To work on the Sage source code, you need
* a working git installation, see :ref:`section-git-install`. Sage
actually comes with git, see below. However, it is recommended that
you have a system-wide install if only to save you some typing.
* configure git to use your name and email address for commits, see
:ref:`section-git-setup-name`. The Sage development scripts will
prompt you if you don't. But, especially if you use git for other
projects in the future as well, you really should configure git.
The :ref:`chapter-git-background` chapter contains further information
about git that might be useful to some but are not required.
.. _section-git-install:
Installing Git
--------------
First, try ``git`` on the command line. Most distributions will have
it installed by default if other development tools are installed. If
that fails, use the following to install git:
Debian / Ubuntu
``sudo apt-get install git-core``
Fedora
``sudo yum install git-core``
Windows
Download and install `msysGit
<http://code.google.com/p/msysgit/downloads/list>`_
OS X
Use the `git OSX installer
<http://code.google.com/p/git-osx-installer/downloads/list>`_
Finally, Sage includes git. Obviously there is a chicken-and-egg
problem to checkout the Sage source code from its git repository, but
one can always download a Sage source tarball or binary
distribution. You can then run git via the ``sage -git`` command line
switch. So, for example, ``git help`` becomes ``sage -git help`` and
so on. Note that the examples in the developer guide will assume that
you have a system-wide git installation.
Some further resources for installation help are:
* `Chapter 2 of the git book
<http://book.git-scm.com/2_installing_git.html>`_
* The `git homepage <http://git-scm.com>`_ for the most recent
information.
* `Github install help pages <http://help.github.com>`_
.. _section-git-setup-name:
Your Name and Email
-------------------
The commit message of any change contains your name and email address
to acknowledge your contribution and to have a point of contact if
there are questions in the future; Filling it in is required if you
want to share your changes. The simplest way to do this is from the
command line::
[user@localhost ~] git config --global user.name "Your Name"
[user@localhost ~] git config --global user.email [email protected]
This will write the settings into your :ref:`git configuration file
<section-git-configuration>` with your name and email::
[user]
name = Your Name
email = [email protected]
Of course you'll need to replace ``Your Name`` and ``[email protected]``
with your actual name and email address.
