Sharing Code

Advanced Git Techniques: Sharing Code 📦

The Gift-Wrapping Story

Imagine you have a beautiful LEGO creation you want to share with friends. But here’s the thing—you can’t always hand them the whole box of LEGO pieces. Sometimes you need to:

1. Pack it in a gift box (Creating Archives)
2. Write down the building instructions (Creating and Applying Patches)
3. Compare your creation with theirs (Comparing Branches)

Let’s learn these three powerful ways to share your Git work!

1. Creating Archives: Gift-Wrapping Your Code 🎁

What is an Archive?

An archive is like putting your code in a nice gift box. Instead of giving someone your entire Git history (all the building steps), you just give them a clean snapshot—the finished product.

Why Use Archives?

• Share code with people who don’t use Git
• Send a clean version without the .git folder
• Create backups or releases

The Magic Command

git archive -o myproject.zip HEAD

Breaking it down:

• git archive = “Pack this up”
• -o myproject.zip = “Name the box”
• HEAD = “Use the latest version”

Real Examples

Create a ZIP file of your current code:

git archive -o release.zip HEAD

Create a TAR file instead:

git archive -o release.tar HEAD

Archive a specific branch:

git archive -o feature.zip feature-login

Archive only a specific folder:

git archive -o docs.zip HEAD:docs/

Add a prefix (folder name) inside archive:

git archive --prefix=myapp/ -o app.zip HEAD

This puts all files inside a myapp/ folder in the ZIP!

graph TD
    A["Your Git Repository"] --> B["git archive"]
    B --> C["Clean ZIP/TAR File"]
    C --> D["Share Anywhere!"]
    style B fill:#4ECDC4,stroke:#333,color:#000
    style C fill:#FFE66D,stroke:#333,color:#000

Quick Tip 💡

Archives are perfect for:

• Sending code to clients
• Creating release versions
• Sharing without Git overhead

2. Creating and Applying Patches: The Recipe Cards 📝

What is a Patch?

Think of a patch like a recipe card. Instead of giving someone the whole cake, you give them instructions: “Add this ingredient here, remove that one there.”

A patch file contains:

• What lines to add
• What lines to remove
• Exactly where to make changes

Creating Patches

Make a patch from your last commit:

git format-patch -1 HEAD

This creates a file like 0001-Fix-login-bug.patch

Make patches for the last 3 commits:

git format-patch -3 HEAD

Create a patch between two points:

git format-patch main..feature

What’s Inside a Patch?

From: Your Name <you@email.com>
Subject: [PATCH] Add welcome message

---
 app.js | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index abc1234..def5678 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 function start() {
+  console.log("Welcome!");
   runApp();
 }

The + means “add this line” The - means “remove this line”

Applying Patches

Apply a patch to your code:

git apply bugfix.patch

Apply with more details (from email):

git am 0001-Fix-login-bug.patch

Check if patch will work first:

git apply --check bugfix.patch

graph TD
    A["Your Changes"] --> B["git format-patch"]
    B --> C[".patch File"]
    C --> D["Send to Friend"]
    D --> E["git apply"]
    E --> F["Changes Applied!"]
    style B fill:#FF6B6B,stroke:#333,color:#fff
    style E fill:#4ECDC4,stroke:#333,color:#000

When to Use Patches?

• Contributing to projects via email
• Sharing specific fixes without full access
• Reviewing changes before applying
• Transferring changes between unconnected repos

3. Comparing Branches: Spot the Differences 🔍

Why Compare Branches?

Before merging, you want to know: “What’s different?” It’s like comparing two versions of a drawing to see what changed.

See What Files Changed

git diff main..feature --stat

Output looks like:

 login.js   | 15 +++++++++------
 styles.css |  3 +++
 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

See the Actual Changes

git diff main..feature

This shows every line that’s different!

See Only File Names

git diff main..feature --name-only

Output:

login.js
styles.css

Compare Specific File

git diff main..feature -- login.js

See Commits That Differ

git log main..feature --oneline

Shows commits in feature that aren’t in main:

a1b2c3d Add login validation
e4f5g6h Create login form

The Three Dots Trick

git diff main...feature

Three dots (...) compares from where branches split.

Two dots (..) compares the endpoints directly.

graph TD
    A["main branch"] --> B["Compare Point"]
    C["feature branch"] --> B
    B --> D{What's Different?}
    D --> E["Files Changed"]
    D --> F["Lines Added"]
    D --> G["Lines Removed"]
    style B fill:#667eea,stroke:#333,color:#fff
    style D fill:#FFE66D,stroke:#333,color:#000

Quick Reference Table

Putting It All Together 🎯

Real-World Scenario

You fixed a bug and want to share it with a teammate who uses a different repository:

Step 1: Create a patch of your fix

git format-patch -1 HEAD

Step 2: Send them the .patch file

Step 3: They apply it

git apply your-fix.patch

Another Scenario

You want to release version 2.0:

Step 1: Compare with the last release

git diff v1.0..v2.0 --stat

Step 2: Create an archive

git archive --prefix=myapp-v2.0/ \
  -o myapp-v2.0.zip v2.0

Step 3: Share the ZIP file!

Summary: Your Sharing Toolkit 🛠️

Remember

• Archive = Gift box (clean snapshot)
• Patch = Recipe card (instructions for changes)
• Diff = Magnifying glass (spot differences)

You now have three powerful ways to share your Git work with anyone, anywhere! Each method has its perfect use case—pick the right tool for the job. 🚀