.. _configuring:

#############################
 Workstation Configuration
############################# 

Global Configuration Settings
=============================

Global configuration settings are performed once per user on a machine.

Generate Missing SSH Keys
-----------------------------

The following command will generate missing **ssh keys** for a user::

  if [ ! -f "~/.ssh/id_rsa" ]; then ssh-keygen -N "" -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa; fi

Create a Projects Folder
-----------------------------

To create a projects Open a terminal prompt and type the following commands::

  mkdir -p ~/Projects
  cd ~/Projects

Git global settings
-----------------------------

While there are many options for repositories, **git** [#]_ has become a 
*de facto* standard for public projects. Configure git with the following 
console commands:: 

  git config --global user.name "firstname lastname"
  git config --global user.email "email@domain"
  git config --global branch.master.remote origin
  git config --global branch.master.merge refs/heads/master
  git config --global push.default matching
  git config --global color.ui auto

Git global settings are recorded in home directory file :file:`~/.gitconfig`. 

Configuration by Project
=============================

Development work is divided into projects which are stored locally as 
sub-folders of a :file:`Projects` folder. Start a new project with the command:: 

  git init ~/Projects/doc-firsttask

This creates the directory :file:`~/Projects/doc-firsttask/.git` where 
repository information is kept for that project. 

.. _gitignore:

Initialize Local Git Repo
-----------------------------

Initialize Git repository services on a folder with the command:: 

  git init ~/Projects/doc-firsttask

This creates the directory :file:`~/Projects/doc-firsttask/.git` where 
repository information is kept for that project. 

Prepare .gitignore
-----------------------------

A project will contain files with content that you create, and other files 
which are generated by the system. The git repository should track content and 
not system files. Using ``nano`` or ``kate``, create a :file:`.gitignore` file 
to identify untracked files to git. Here is some suggested content for 
:file:`.gitignore`::

  # ignore editor backup files 
  *~
  */*~
  # ignore compilation from make
  *build/*
  */*build/*
  # ignore deployment content
  *deploy/*
  */*deploy/*
  # keep hidden placeholder files which preserve directories
  !.gitkeep
  !*/.gitkeep

Add Changes to git
-----------------------------

Now add your changes to git [#]_ and view the results with the commands::

  git add .
  git status
  git commit -m "Empty project directory for firsttask"

------

.. rubric:: Footnotes

.. [#] For information on git, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(software). 
		 A git online reference manual is at http://gitref.org/.

.. [#] `Try GitHub <http://try.github.com/>`_ offers a quick tutorial on Git 
		 and GitHub to bring you up to speed.