Last time I wrote about version control using Subversion (and its implementation in Eclipse). I still haven’t given up on it, but since I’m using a private repository, sharing code has been a bit tedious.

I was introduced to git a while ago, but somehow decided to go for Subversion. A few days ago a friend of mine pointed out SourceTree, a git GUI client for Windows and Mac. It’s not all GUI, all you die-hard CLI users are able to use their favorite tool. It hooks well with BitBucket, Stash, GitHub and Kiln. I opted for BitBucket, because it offers free private repositories.

The interface is, to my mind, very intuitive. You have a bookmark sidebar with your favorite projects, main window where most of the magic happens and of course the toolbar, where you can commit, checkout, remove, pull, push, branch, merge (and more) projects. For understanding git, Git Reference site can be helpful.

Once you create a new (local or remote) repository, the program will scan for any possible changes. Once a change has been detected, you will be able to commit them. In git lingo, this means that you will acknowledge these changes and apply them. SourceTree will keep a nice history tab for you, and you can revert to previous versions by simply “checking it out”. Once you’re happy with all the changes and you think your repo should see the light of day, you can Push it to your favorite git site, like BitBucket or GitHub. If you’re collaborating with others, you can always Fetch/Pull changes from the main site and have you repo up to date.

If you’re looking for version control, and you see yourself as a prospective (or current) collaborator, do give git and SourceTree a try.

SourceTree in action. Left is the bookmark sidebar and the main window is showing the history of my master branch. Click on image to enlarge (the image).