How to navigate the coding archaeology world: An introduction to scientific co-creation using Git and Github

This workshop by the CAA–SIG Scientific Scripting Languages in Archaeology given at CAA2022, Oxford offers an introduction to version control and collaborative coding for archaeologists. The workshop was complementary to the session Workflows and Experiences on Collaborative Working and Community Building Using Digital Tools at the conference.

The slides are available as .pdf in rendered_slides.

Some images were taken from the beautiful Github Series by Allison Horst.

What this workshop covers

In this workshop we will demonstrate how archaeologists can concretely profit from code sharing platforms and version control software, guide the participants to navigate these digital spaces and tools confidently, and showcase how they can streamline and improve common (research) tasks. We will give a practical introduction to some of the most popular systems: Git, a powerful command line software handling and documenting changes in (text)files, and the platform GitHub, where projects can be stored and shared online.

What you need to code along

Basic bash knowledge (read e.g. here) is helpful, but not mandatory. Beyond that you need the following to participate in the workshop:

• Git, installed on your computer (following the instructions here)
• A GitHub account, which you can create here

For Windows users: You can find more information about Git for Windows here. Please make sure that the Git BASH is available and working on your computer.