Create git repository for existing project?

Question

After a close call with deleting a swift file, I noticed that I did not have create the project with it to create a git repository. Is there a way to have an existing project start a git repository? Or do I have to start a new project and move all of my code/files over?

Answer 1

Yes, you can initiate a git repo for an existing project. There are several ways to initiate and manage a Git repository over an existing project.

Preparations.

There are some files that are not subject to source control. Those are project files from your IDE, compiled classes and so on. To exclude them, get a .gitignore file and put it to the root directory of your project.

Creating a Git repo with command-line tool

go inside the project folder and create new git repository using:

cd path/to/your/project
git init

Then add your files

git add *

and then commit

git commit -am "Initial commit"

if you need to push it to GitHub/BitBucket use

git remote add origin [repository URL]

and then

git push origin master

Creating a Git repo with a gui-based tool or IDE.

You can as well use any gui-based tool. E.g., in IntelliJ IDEA use the menu [VCS] - [Import into version control] - [Create Git repository].

If you are going to use GitHub, there's a convenient GitHub client.