11  Forking a Repository and Making Changes with VSCode

Learning Objectives

  • Understand what it means to fork a repository on GitHub

  • Successfully fork a repository on GitHub and make changes locally using VSCode

  • Identify common errors and learn how to fix them

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: Fork the Repository on GitHub

  1. Navigate to the public repository you want to contribute to. (e.g., https://github.com/vmahan1998/GitHub_Basic_Skills.git)

  2. Click the “Fork button in the top-right corner of the page.

  3. Choose your GitHub account as the destination for the fork.

  4. GitHub will create a copy of the repository under your account.

Part 2: Clone the Forked Repository Locally

  1. Open Visual Studio Code (VSCode).

  2. On the Welcome page, click Clone Git Repository.

    • If you don’t see this option, install the GitHub Extension from the VSCode marketplace.

  3. Paste the repository URL.

  4. Choose a local folder where the repository should be saved.

  5. Name the directory (typically the same as the repo name “GitHub_Basic_Skills”).

  6. When prompted, click “Open” to begin working inside the cloned repository.

Part 3: Create New Branch

  1. In VSCode, open the Source Control sidebar (click the branch icon or press Ctrl+Shift+G).

  2. Click the branch name (e.g., main) in the lower-left corner or at the top of the Source Control pane.

  3. Select “Create new branch” from the dropdown.

  4. Enter a name for your branch (e.g., new-message) and press “Enter”.

  5. VSCode will automatically switch you to the new branch.

Part 4: Make and Commit Changes Locally

  • Edit the files in VSCode as needed (e.g., modify EDIT_ME.md or source code).
  • Save your changes (Ctrl+S or File > Save).
  • Open the Source Control pane.
  • You should see your changed files listed.
  • Hover over the file and click the + icon to stage it, or click the + icon next to Changes to stage all files.
  • In the message box at the top, write a clear and descriptive commit message.
  • Click the “✓” Commit button (or use the check mark icon).
  • Click the “↥” Push icon in the bottom bar or from the Source Control menu to push your branch to GitHub.

Part 6: Create a Pull Request

  1. Go to your forked repository on GitHub in a web browser.

  2. GitHub will prompt you to compare & open a pull request.

  3. Click “Compare & pull request”.

  4. Add a descriptive title and explanation of your changes.

  5. Click “Create pull request” to propose your contribution to the original repository.

Part 7: Merge Pull Request (for repository maintainers)

  1. If you have permission, go to the pull request on the original repository.

  2. Review the changes and click “Merge pull request”.

  3. Confirm the merge and delete the feature branch if no longer needed.

Video Tutorial

Fork the Repository

Create a Pull Request

Merge a Pull Request

Troubleshooting

  • Remote repository not found
    Make sure you created the repository on GitHub and copied the correct HTTPS or SSH URL. VSCode does not create remote repositories — it only connects to them.

  • VSCode can:

    • Clone a remote repository from GitHub

    • Connect your local changes to a remote repo via Git

    • Push changes to an existing remote repository

  • Authentication failed
    GitHub no longer supports passwords for HTTPS. If prompted, use a personal access token (PAT) instead. You can generate one at https://github.com/settings/tokens.

  • Push fails due to README or file conflicts
    If the GitHub repo was initialized with a README, license, or .gitignore, and your local repo wasn’t, this can cause merge conflicts. Create your GitHub repo without those options when pushing an existing local project.

  • Git not detected
    If Git features don’t appear in VSCode, install Git from https://git-scm.com and restart VSCode. Go to View > Command Palette > Git: Show Git Output to check if it’s recognized.

  • Pushed changes not showing on GitHub
    Make sure you pushed to the correct remote (usually origin) and correct branch (main or master). You can check the branch in the bottom-left corner of VSCode.

Additonal Resources