Version Control¶

Version control systems like Git track changes to documentation, enable collaboration, and maintain history. Treating documentation as code brings software development best practices to technical writing.

Why Version Control for Docs¶

Version control provides:

• History: See who changed what and when
• Collaboration: Multiple writers work simultaneously
• Review: Pull requests for quality control
• Rollback: Undo mistakes easily
• Branching: Work on features without affecting main

Git Basics for Writers¶

Essential Commands¶

# Clone a repository
git clone https://github.com/org/docs.git

# Check status
git status

# Stage changes
git add filename.md
git add .  # All changes

# Commit changes
git commit -m "Update installation guide"

# Push to remote
git push

# Pull latest changes
git pull

Commit Messages¶

Write clear commit messages:

Good:

Add troubleshooting section for authentication errors

- Document common error codes
- Add solutions for each error type
- Include escalation path

Poor:

Updated docs

Branching¶

Create branches for new work:

# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b feature/new-tutorial

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add getting started tutorial"

# Push branch
git push -u origin feature/new-tutorial

Pull Request Workflow¶

Creating Pull Requests¶

1. Create a branch for your changes
2. Make and commit changes
3. Push branch to remote
4. Open pull request
5. Request review
6. Address feedback
7. Merge when approved

Reviewing Documentation PRs¶

Review checklist:

• Technical accuracy
• Clarity and readability
• Style guide compliance
• Links work
• No spelling/grammar errors
• Screenshots current (if applicable)

Documentation Branching Strategies¶

Trunk-Based Development¶

Simple approach for most documentation:

• main branch is always deployable
• Short-lived feature branches
• Merge frequently

Release Branches¶

For versioned documentation:

main (latest)
├── release/v2.0
├── release/v1.5
└── release/v1.0

Summary¶

Version control enables professional documentation workflows:

• Track all changes with Git
• Use branches for new work
• Review changes through pull requests
• Maintain documentation quality through collaboration

Git skills are essential for modern technical writing.