Ask Your Code

What do we really use version control for at a fundamental level? How do we ask our codebase questions and are the tools we're using able to answer the questions that we really want to ask it? What do you want to ask your code?

Transcript

1. ask your code
   scott chacon
   GitButler
   

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2. GitButler
   version
   
   
   control
   

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3. GitButler
   

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4. GitButler
   

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5. GitButler
   

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6. GitButler
   

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7. GitButler
   product
   
   
   design
   for version control
   

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8. first
   
   
   principles
   GitButler
   

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9. WHY?
   GitButler
   

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10. aunt minnie is
    
    
    in the hospital
    GitButler
    

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11. When you explain a why, you have to
    be in some framework that you
    
    
    allow something to be true.
    GitButler
    

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12. aunt minnie is in the hospital
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13. WHY?
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14. aunt minnie is in the hospital
    GitButler
    she fell and broke her hip
    

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15. WHY?
    GitButler
    

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16. aunt minnie is in the hospital
    GitButler
    she fell and broke her hip
    she slipped on some ice
    

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17. WHY?
    GitButler
    

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18. aunt minnie is in the hospital
    GitButler
    she fell and broke her hip
    she slipped on some ice
    ice is slippery
    

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19. WHY?
    GitButler
    

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20. first
    
    
    principles
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21. first
    
    
    principles
    GitButler
    for version control
    

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22. we all use git
    GitButler
    

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23. WHY?
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24. we all use git
    GitButler
    we need version control
    

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25. WHY?
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26. we all use git
    GitButler
    we need version control
    to collaborate and save our work
    

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27. WHY?
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28. we all use git
    GitButler
    we need version control
    to collaborate and save our work
    our computer doesn’t save the
    history of our files or let other people
    access them
    

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29. WHY?
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30. GitButler
    history saving, file access
    

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31. GitButler
    history saving, file access
    google docs
    

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32. GitButler
    what does
    
    
    version control
    do?
    

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33. GitButler
    what does version control do?
    backing up
    
    
    commit
    
    
    experimenting
    
    
    branch, checkout
    
    
    collaborating and reviewing
    
    
    diff, merge
    
    
    moving bits
    
    
    push, pull
    
    
    archaeology
    
    
    log, blame, bisect
    
    
    

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34. GitButler
    what does version control do?
    backing up
    
    
    commit
    
    
    experimenting
    
    
    branch, checkout
    
    
    collaborating and reviewing
    
    
    diff, merge
    
    
    moving bits
    
    
    push, pull
    
    
    archaeology
    
    
    log, blame, bisect
    
    
    archaeology
    
    
    log, blame, bisect
    

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35. GitButler
    what does version control do?
    archaeology
    
    
    log, blame, bisect
    

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36. GitButler
    what question
    
    
    does this answer?
    

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37. the
    
    
    common
    
    
    questions
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38. GitButler
    the common questions
    What are the last few dozen commits
    
    
    that have been made to this codebase?
    

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39. GitButler
    the common questions
    What are the last few dozen commits
    
    
    that have been made to this codebase?
    git log
    

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40. git log —-oneline —-graph
    

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41. GitButler
    the common questions
    Who is the last person who
    
    
    touched this line of code?
    

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42. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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43. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    git log -L 15,26:path/to/file
    

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44. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    git log -L 15,26:path/to/file
    

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45. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    git log -L 15,26:path/to/file
    

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46. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    git log -L :File:path/to/file
    

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47. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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48. GitButler
    the common questions
    Who is the last person who
    
    
    touched this line of code?
    What are the last few dozen commits
    
    
    that have been made to this codebase?
    

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49. the
    
    
    uncommon
    
    
    questions
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50. GitButler
    the uncommon questions
    What commits are on this branch
    
    
    that are not yet merged
    
    
    into this other branch?
    

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52. git log main..self-hosted
    

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53. git log main..self-hosted
    

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54. git log main ^self-hosted
    

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55. git log main ^self-hosted
    

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56. GitButler
    the uncommon questions
    What commits introduced a change
    
    
    that included a speci
    fi
    c string?
    

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57. git log -S files_watcher -p
    

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58. GitButler
    the uncommon questions
    What
    fi
    le was this
    
    
    function moved from?
    

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59. git blame -L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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60. git blame -w -C -C -C —L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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61. git blame -w -C -C -C —L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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62. git blame -w -C -C -C —L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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63. git blame -w -C -C -C —L 15,26 path/to/file
    

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64. GitButler
    the uncommon questions
    What files are most
    
    
    closely related to this file?
    

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65. What files are most closely related to this file?
    
    
    

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66. What files are most closely related to this file?
    
    
    get all the commits that touch this
    fi
    le
    

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67. What files are most closely related to this file?
    
    
    get all the
    fi
    les each commit touches
    get all the commits that touch this
    fi
    le
    

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68. What files are most closely related to this file?
    
    
    print out the top
    fi
    ve
    fi
    les in common
    

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70. the
    
    
    impossible
    
    
    questions
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71. GitButler
    the impossible questions
    What Pull Requests contributed to this file?
    
    
    What code in other repositories are related to this code?
    
    
    What were the conversations (in chat or GitHub) my team had around
    this code before it was merged?
    
    
    What did the author/s reference when writing this?
    
    
    What specifications was this based on?
    
    
    What errors were or are commonly created by this code or code
    related to it that I should be aware of before changing?
    

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72. ask your code?
    GitButler
    what do you want to
    

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73. thanks!
    @chacon
    GitButler
    speakerdeck.com/schacon
    github.com/schacon
    these slides
    code examples
    

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