Quick Start¶

Get up and running with gi in just a few minutes!

🚀 Your First .gitignore¶

Let's create a .gitignore file for a Python project:

# Create a Python .gitignore
gi main python

This will create a .gitignore file in your current directory with Python-specific ignore rules.

🔍 Explore Available Templates¶

See what templates are available:

# List all templates
gi list

# Search for specific templates
gi search python
gi search node
gi search studio

🎯 Combine Multiple Templates¶

Create a comprehensive .gitignore for a full-stack project:

# Python backend + Node.js frontend + VS Code
gi main python node vscode

# Or with aliases
gi main python node vscode

📋 Common Use Cases¶

Web Development¶

# React + Node.js project
gi main node react

# Django + Python project  
gi main python django

# Full-stack with VS Code
gi main python node react vscode

Mobile Development¶

# React Native
gi main node react-native

# Flutter
gi main flutter

# Native iOS/Android
gi main swift kotlin

Data Science¶

# Python data science
gi main python jupyter

# R programming
gi main r

# Jupyter notebooks
gi main python jupyter

⚙️ Advanced Usage¶

Custom Output Location¶

# Save to specific file
gi main python rust -o my-project/.gitignore

# Append to existing file
gi main python -a existing/.gitignore

Show Template Content¶

# Preview a template before using
gi show Python
gi show Global/JetBrains

Get Help¶

# General help
gi --help

# Command-specific help
gi main --help
gi list --help

🎨 Template Aliases¶

gi includes convenient aliases for common templates:

Alias	Maps to	Description
`cpp`	`C++`	C++ development
`csharp`	`VisualStudio`	C# development
`vscode`	`Global/VisualStudioCode`	VS Code settings
`macos`	`Global/macOS`	macOS system files
`jetbrains`	`Global/JetBrains`	JetBrains IDEs
`node`	`Node`	Node.js projects
`python`	`Python`	Python projects

🔄 Workflow Examples¶

New Project Setup¶

# 1. Create project directory
mkdir my-awesome-project
cd my-awesome-project

# 2. Initialize git
git init

# 3. Create .gitignore
gi main python django vscode

# 4. Start coding!

Team Project¶

# Standardize .gitignore across team
gi main python node react vscode -o .gitignore

# Commit to repository
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Add comprehensive .gitignore"

CI/CD Integration¶

# In your build script
gi main python node -o .gitignore
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Update .gitignore"

🎯 Pro Tips¶

1. Use Aliases¶

# Instead of typing full names
gi main cpp csharp vscode  # Much easier!

2. Preview Before Using¶

# Check what's in a template
gi show Python
gi show Global/JetBrains

# Web development stack
gi main node react typescript vscode

# Data science stack  
gi main python jupyter pandas

4. Keep Templates Updated¶

# Refresh template cache
gi doctor  # Shows cache status
# Templates auto-update when needed

🚨 Common Mistakes¶

❌ Don't Do This¶

# Don't use full template names when aliases exist
gi main "Global/VisualStudioCode"  # Use 'vscode' instead
gi main "C++"                       # Use 'cpp' instead

✅ Do This Instead¶

# Use convenient aliases
gi main vscode cpp

📚 Next Steps¶

Now that you know the basics:

User Guide - Complete command reference
Tutorials - Detailed step-by-step guides
Advanced Usage - Power user features

🆘 Need Help?¶

Commands: gi --help or gi <command> --help
Templates: gi list or gi search <term>
Issues: GitHub Issues
Documentation: This site!

Ready for more? Check out our Complete Command Reference!