14. FTC Docs Contributor Glossary

Branch

A branch is a parallel version of a repository. It is contained within the repository, but does not affect the primary or master branch, allowing you to work freely without disrupting the “live” version. When you’ve made the changes you want to make, you can merge your branch back into the master branch to publish your changes.

Feature Branch

A feature branch is a branch that is created to work on a new feature or bug. When you create a feature branch, you are making a copy of the main branch and working on the feature in isolation. Once the feature is complete, you can merge the feature branch back into the main branch.

Fork

A fork is a copy of a repository. Forking a repository allows you to freely experiment with changes without affecting the original project. Most commonly, forks are used to either propose changes to someone else’s project or to use someone else’s project as a starting point for your own idea.

Main

Main or main branch refers to the default branch of a repository. This is the branch that is checked out when you clone a repository. By convention, changes are made on feature branches and then merged into the main branch when they are ready to be published.

Main Repository

The main repository is the GitHub repository found at github.com/FIRST-Tech-Challenge/ftcdocs. The files in this repository are the official documentation for the FIRST Tech Challenge and the ones that are built and deployed to the FTC Docs website. This should not be confused with the main branch of a repository, which is the default branch of a repository.

Pull Request

A pull request is a way to propose changes to a branch in a repository. When you submit a pull request, you’re requesting that the repository owner pull in your changes. Pull requests show differences between the content of the source branch and the target branch. The changes, additions, and subtractions are shown in green, red, and grey, respectively.

Repository

A repository is a central location in which data is stored and managed. It can be a collection of files or directories, and it can be a place where developers store their code, track changes, and collaborate with others.