GitLab_Code_Section_Lab_Manual.md

🧪 GitLab Code Section – Student Lab Manual (v18.0)

Welcome to the GitLab Lab Manual for the Code section. This hands-on guide will walk you through using essential version control and collaboration tools available under a GitLab project’s Code tab.

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🎯 Objective

By the end of this lab, you will be able to:

• Navigate and manage a Git repository using GitLab UI
• Work with branches, commits, and tags
• Use merge requests to review and merge changes
• Visualize repository history and differences
• Use GitLab snippets and lock files for special file handling

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🧱 Prerequisites

• A GitLab account (GitLab.com or self-managed instance)
• A sample GitLab project (or fork an existing public one)
• Git installed (for optional local work)

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1️⃣ Repository

Explore the main repository view

• Go to your project → Code → Repository
• Browse the file structure
• Click files to view content
• Try editing a file via the Web IDE

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2️⃣ Branches

Create and switch between branches

1. Navigate to Code → Branches
2. Click New branch
3. Name it feature-xyz
4. You can now switch to this branch from the dropdown on the file view
5. Make changes to files in this branch

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3️⃣ Commits

Track project history

1. Go to Code → Commits
2. View a list of all commits
3. Click any commit hash to view its details
4. Use the Compare tab to see changes between commits

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4️⃣ Tags

Mark release points

1. Go to Code → Tags
2. Click New Tag
3. Tag your latest commit as v1.0.0
4. Use tags in CI/CD and release pages

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5️⃣ Merge Requests

Merge changes from feature branch to main

1. Go to Code → Merge Requests → New Merge Request
2. Select feature-xyz into main
3. Add a title, description
4. Assign to reviewer
5. Submit and discuss changes in comments
6. Approve and merge once complete

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6️⃣ Repository Graph

Visualize branch and merge activity

• Navigate to Code → Repository Graph
• This will show branching and merge paths
• Useful to understand team workflows and commit timelines

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7️⃣ Compare Revisions

Compare branches or tags

1. Go to Code → Compare Revisions
2. Choose main vs feature-xyz
3. View all file diffs and commit list

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8️⃣ Snippets

Share reusable code snippets

1. Go to Code → Snippets
2. Click New Snippet
3. Paste your code (e.g., sample shell script)
4. Set visibility (private/internal/public)
5. Save and share the link

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9️⃣ Locked Files

Prevent edits to non-mergeable files

1. Navigate to Code → Locked Files
2. Click “Lock a file”
3. Choose a binary/design file (e.g., logo.psd)
4. Only you can now edit this file until unlocked

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✅ Bonus Tips

• Use /label, /assign, and /estimate in merge request comments
• Clone project locally and push commits using Git
• Use .gitlab-ci.yml to add CI pipelines

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🧪 Conclusion

You've now explored all the tools under GitLab's Code tab. These features are essential for working collaboratively, tracking project evolution, and managing source code efficiently.

Happy coding! 🚀