Using Coding Tools in a Team

Goals: Learn to use VS Code, GitHub, and Postman effectively Learn to use these tools to work with a team

Tools Overview

VS Code

  • A free code editor made by Microsoft
  • Uses:
    • Writing/Editing code in various coding languages
    • Debugging code
    • Using extensions for various purposes
    • Live collaboration with Live Share

GitHub

  • A platform for hosting and managing code using Git (a version control system)
  • Uses:
    • Version control: Track and manage changes in code history
    • Collaboration: Multiple people are able to work on the same project without overwriting others work
    • Branching and Pull Requests: Add code safely and merge it into the main project

Postman

  • An API development and testing tool
  • Uses:
    • Sending requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to an API (your own or one off the internet)
    • Checking responses (JSON, XML, HTML, etc.)
    • Debugging backend services prior to merging with group code / connecting to frontend

Using These Tools Together

VS Code –> Writing the code (frontend, backend, APIs)

GitHub –> Storing and sharing the code - where you get your team’s code and where you give your team code

Postman –> Testing APIs and ensuring backend functionality before connecting it to frontend

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GitHub Specifics

  1. Setting up a repository
    • Create a New Repository on GitHub
      • Have teammates fork it or add them as collaborators
    • Clone it into VS Code (git clone )
  2. Common Commands in VS Code terminal
    • git pull (pulls changes from GitHub into VS Code)
    • git stash (places your changes into a stash, temporarily removing them - usually used to pull code without conflicts)
    • git stash pop (removes changes from stash and adds them back into VS Code)

Practice

  1. VS Code
    • Create a file in VS Code
    • Install an extension
    • Use Live Share with a team member to edit code
  2. GitHub
    • Create a repository on GitHub
    • Clone it into VS Code
    • Make a branch, edit a file, and push changes
    • Open a pull request (under contribute) and review another person’s changes
  3. Postman
    • Open Postman and send a request (GET) to a public API (find one on the internet)
    • Inspect the JSON response

Hacks: Be able to work on files in VSCode, manage versions with GitHub and be able to push and pull, test APIs in Postman