Getting Started with GitHub in Visual Studio

If you’re a developer, chances are you’ve heard of the widely popular code hosting and collaboration platform GitHub. And if you’re like most programmers, visual studio might be your preferred Integrated Development Environment (IDE) of choice. In this guide, we will walk you through the perplexing and bursty steps on how to run a GitHub project in Visual Studio to make it easier for you to access, edit, debug code in a collaborative environment.

Fork the GitHub repository

Assuming you’ve created a GitHub account, the first step would be to locate the repository you want to work with and make a copy of it in your account. This is called forking. Click on the Fork button at the top of the repository’s page, and choose your account as the destination.

Clone the repository in Visual Studio

Next, you’ll need to clone your forked repository locally on your device. Open Visual Studio and navigate to the Team Explorer window. Click on the Clone button, and paste the URL of your forked repository in the text field. Choose a local directory on your device to store the cloned files.

Switch to the appropriate branch

When you clone a repository, you typically clone the master branch, which contains the latest stable release of the code. However, you might want to work on a specific branch, especially if you’re collaborating with others. In Visual Studio, you can switch between branches by going to the Branches section in the Team Explorer window and double-clicking on the desired branch.

Build and run the project

Once you’ve cloned the repository and switched to the appropriate branch, you can build and run the project in Visual Studio. Depending on the repository’s configuration, you might need to install additional dependencies or configure build settings. Refer to the project’s README file or documentation for guidance.

Make changes and commit them

Now that you’re able to build and run the project locally, you can start making changes to the code. Simply edit the corresponding files using Visual Studio’s code editing tools, and save your changes. When you’re ready to commit your changes, go to the Changes section in the Team Explorer window, and click on the Commit button. Enter a commit message that describes your changes, and click on Commit All.

Push changes to GitHub

Finally, you need to push your changes to your forked repository in GitHub. Go to the Sync section in the Team Explorer window, and click on the Push button. Visual Studio will upload your changes to your GitHub account and create a pull request against the original repository’s master branch. The repository owner will be notified of the new pull request and can review, approve, or reject your changes.

By following these perplexing and bursty steps, you should now be able to run a GitHub project in Visual Studio, collaborate with others, and contribute to open-source software development. Happy coding!