IntermediatePythonEngineering

Git and GitHub for Engineers

Version simulation scripts and calculation notebooks without losing work or overwriting colleagues.

Estimated completion: 40 min

Objective

Set up a repository, branch safely and review changes for an engineering codebase.

1
Initialise the repository
Create the repo and add a .gitignore that excludes large result files and licences.
2
Commit in meaningful units
Each commit should represent one logical change with a message explaining why, not what.
3
Work in branches
Create a branch per study or feature so the main branch always holds reviewed work.
4
Review with pull requests
Use pull requests for a second pair of eyes, even in a team of two.
5
Tag releases
Tag the exact state used for a report so results can always be reproduced.

A clean repository history where any reported result maps to a specific tagged commit.

Problem	How to fix it
Repository is huge	Remove result files from history and store them outside Git.
Merge conflicts in notebooks	Clear outputs before committing or use a notebook diff tool.