HOWTO use Git instead of Mercurial

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The ns-3 project presently uses Mercurial as its source code control system, but several developers favor using Git. The project has set up a mirror on Github at https://github.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev-git.

Please note that this repo does not accept pull requests at this time; to contribute back to the mainline code, use our bug tracker or Rietveld (see Contributing Code to ns-3).

This page provides common tips for people who wish to fork ns-3-dev from the nsnam github repo and keep a master sync'ed to the nsnam github repo.

Forking

Assume that you are user 'johnqexample' on github, and that you want to create a new public github repo that is synced to nsnam/ns-3-dev-git.

1. . Log into github
2. . Navigate to https://github.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev-git
3. . In the top-right corner of the page, click Fork.

Note that you may only do this once; if you try to Fork again, github will take you to the page of the original fork.

To create multiple forks from the same repository, see this blog page: https://adrianshort.org/create-multiple-forks-of-a-github-repo/

For more information on forking at github: https://help.github.com/articles/fork-a-repo/

Renaming your fork

If you want to rename this repository, it is probably best to do it right after the initial fork. Let's say you wish to rename it 'ns-3-dev-wifi' to track your wifi modifications.

1. . Under your repository name, click Settings.
2. . Under the Repository Name heading, type the new name of your repository.
3. . Click Rename.

Cloning your fork

Clone it locally to your system:

 git clone https://github.com/your-user-name/ns-3-dev-git
 cd ns-3-dev-git

Syncing your fork

To keep your fork synced with nsnam/ns-3-dev-git, take these steps from within your local clone:

 git fetch upstream
 git checkout master
 git merge upstream/master
 git push origin master

For more information: https://help.github.com/articles/syncing-a-fork/

Creating a branch

Now look at the available branches:

 git branch -a

you should see:

 * master
   remotes/origin/master
   remotes/upstream/master

To create a new branch

 git checkout -b [name_of_your_new_branch]

You should now see:

 git branch -a

 * master
   [name_of_your_new_branch]
   remotes/origin/master
   remotes/upstream/master
 

Creating a patch against master

If you are in a branch and want to diff it against master, you can type:

 git diff master

and redirect to a patch:

 git diff master > patch-against-master.patch

Removing all local changes not tracked in the index

 git clean -df
 git checkout -- .