GitHub Pages Tutorial

Setting up your repo for the first time

• mkdir repo-name
• cd repo-name
• git init
• touch index.html
• git add index.html
• git commit -m "create index"

Create a remote repository on GitHub with the same name

• git remote add origin URL
• git push -u origin master

Making your gh-pages branch

• use git branch to see your branches
  • you should only see master
• use git branch gh-pages to make a new branch
• now git branch should show:

  gh-pages
* master

Making your gh-pages and master branches mirrored

• open the hidden file .git/config
  • in cloud9, use c9 .git/config
• add these two lines in the [remote “origin”] section:

	push = +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/gh-pages
	push = +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/master

• it should now look like:

[remote "origin"]
	fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
	url = git@github.com:user/repo.git
	push = +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/gh-pages
	push = +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/master

• save

Updating your content and pushing

• add content to index.html
• git add index.html
• git commit -m "<whatever content you add>"
• git push
• at the bottom of the message, you should see something like:

To git@github.com:<your-username>/<your-repo-name>.git
   b33fe26..4854de6  master -> master
 * [new branch]      master -> gh-pages

Previewing your page

• In a new tab, you should see your page running at the following URL:
  <your-username>.github.io/<your-repo-name>

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Work smarter, not harder

It would be a good idea to save a short reminder of the crucial steps into a text file (such as gh-pages.txt) in the root directory of your workspace. That way, you don't have to re-visit this tutorial every time you want to mirror with gh-pages.

In cloud9, it looks like this:

• touch ~/workspace/gh-pages.txt
• c9 ~/workspace/gh-pages.txt
• Copy/paste the code snippet below

***COMMAND LINE***
git branch gh-pages
c9 .git/config

***PASTE INTO REMOTE ORIGIN***
push = +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/gh-pages
	push = +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/master

***SAVE AND CLOSE***

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Need to delete the gh-pages branch?

• Deleting the local branch:
  • git branch -D gh-pages
• Deleting the remote branch:
  • git push origin --delete gh-pages