Lesson 1: The Pull Request

In a team, you don't just push directly to main. That would be chaos. Instead, you create a Pull Request (PR) — a formal proposal to merge your changes, with a review process.

The PR Workflow

1. Create a branch     →  git checkout -b feature/user-profile
2. Write code          →  (make your changes)
3. Commit & Push       →  git push -u origin feature/user-profile
4. Open a Pull Request →  (on GitHub/GitLab)
5. Code Review         →  (teammates review your code)
6. Merge               →  (approved → merged into main)
7. Clean up            →  git branch -d feature/user-profile

What Goes in a Pull Request?

A great PR includes:

• Title: Clear, concise summary. E.g., "Add user profile page with avatar upload"
• Description: What you changed and why. Link to the issue/ticket.
• Screenshots: If there are visual changes, show before/after.
• Testing notes: How to test your changes.

PR Best Practices

| Practice | Why | |----------|-----| | Keep PRs small (< 400 lines) | Easier to review, fewer conflicts | | One feature per PR | Clear scope, easy to revert if needed | | Write descriptive commits | Reviewers understand your thought process | | Self-review before requesting | Catch obvious mistakes yourself | | Link to the issue/ticket | Provides context for reviewers |

Fork-Based Workflow (Open Source)

For open-source projects, you don't have write access. The workflow is:

1. Fork the repository           →  Create your own copy
2. Clone YOUR fork               →  git clone your-fork-url
3. Create a branch               →  git checkout -b fix/typo
4. Make changes, commit, push    →  git push origin fix/typo
5. Open PR from fork → upstream  →  (on GitHub)

Branch Protection Rules

Teams often protect the main branch:

• ✅ Require at least 1 approving review.
• ✅ Require all CI checks to pass.
• ✅ Require branch to be up to date with main.
• ❌ No direct pushes to main.

Mission Objective

Practice the PR workflow:

1. Branch off: Create a feature branch with git checkout -b feature/user-profile.
2. Build: Create a file and commit: echo 'profile page' > profile.html && git add . && git commit -m 'Add user profile page'.
3. Share: Push to the remote with git push -u origin feature/user-profile.

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