Waypoint Ventures documentation

• Welcome
• Quick start
• Quick start
• Install software
• Set Git credentials
• Install Git client
• Install Git History extension
• Install Azure Repos extension
• Install Pull Requests extension
• Install Word Count extension
• Install Docs Authoring Pack
• Install Visual Studio Code
• Workflow and processes
• Test process
• Content editing process
• Instructional design review process
• Technical review process
• Authoring process
• General project workflow
• Terminology and concepts
• View/ download course files
• Fetch upstream changes
• Clone single folder
• Fix cloning errors
• Download course files (clone repo)
• Fork a repository
• View course files in web browser
• Working on branches
• Recover deleted branch
• Delete branch
• Rename branch
• Send (push) files
• Switch branches in VSC
• Update branch (pull) in VSC
• Create new branch in VSC
• Project branching policies
• Add/ edit content
• Create scaffolding
• Invite collaborator
• Fix linter issues
• Use author outlines
• Create new markdown file in VSC
• Add/ edit images in VSC
• Add/ edit markdown in VSC
• Add/ edit content in web browser
• Markdown syntax guide
• Pull requests and reviews
• Resolve merge conflicts
• Merge a pull request
• Work in a pull request
• Create pull request
• Pull requests overview
• Prepublication preparations
• Style a doc in Word
• Configure styles in Word
• Convert markdown to doc
• Setup file conversion tools
• About prepublication
• Appendices
• Links to useful resources
• Glossary
• FAQ
• Best practices guide

This guide describes using the Visual Studio Code (VSC) editor to get (or pull) the latest files from GitHub/ AzDevOps.

Topics in this guide

• Overview of the Git pull command
• Get the latest files from GitHub/ AzDevOps with VSC

Overview of the Git pull command

Git branching makes it possible for multiple contributors to edit the same files in a GitHub/ AzDevOps repository (remote repo). Other contributors might update the files in a remote repo at any time, so it’s important to keep the files in your local repo up to date with the remote repo.

Update your local repo when you begin your working day, throughout the day, and whenever you need a file or feature from the remote repo that you don’t have locally. Keeping your local repo up to date helps to avoid “merge conflicts”, which arise from attempts to merge incompatible versions of the same file.

Git pull

The git pull command gets information about the latest files from the remote repo and merges the files from the remote repo with the files in your local repo. The git pull command can retrieve and send files to and from different branches.

Note: Whenever you pull files into a specific branch, you must ensure that VSC is switched to the correct branch to avoid inadvertently overwriting files. The VSC status bar, at the bottom of the editor, indicates the name of branch that VSC is currently switched to.

Save any changes you make to your local repo regularly (using Git stage and commit). For details about Git terminology and file saving actions visit the guides Terminology and concepts and send (push) files.

Get the latest files from GitHub/ AzDevOps with VSC

Complete the following steps to get the latest files from GitHub/ AzDevOps into your local repo using git pull in VSC.

1. In VSC, open your local repo (File > Open Folder), and select the VSC Explorer icon (left sidebar).

   

2. Switch VSC to the branch you want to update.

   The VSC status bar, at the bottom of the editor, indicates the name of branch that VSC is currently switched to.

   For example, in the following image, the VSC status bar indicates that VSC is currently switched to the master branch. Switching VSC to a different branch is described in the guide Switch branch. The local repo’s folders and files are accessible from the VSC Explorer pane (on the left side).

   

3. Go to Terminal > New Terminal.

   

4. Type git pull into the resulting terminal window, select git pull, and press Enter.

   

   The command git pull will commence retrieving files from GitHub/ AzDevOps. The spinning arrows in the status bar, beside the branch name, indicate the progress of the pull command.

   Note: You must always use the VSC Terminal to perform git pull actions. Running the git pull command from the VSC Command Palette will not always update the files in your local repo correctly.

5. When a message indicating that the git pull command has completed appears in the VSC terminal, close the terminal window using the X (upper right side corner of the terminal window).

   

   Note: If there are changes pending in your local branch, and you run the Git pull command, you may receive the message cannot overwrite existing changes. To pull the latest files from GitHub/ AzDevOps successfully, save the changes first then run the Git pull command again.