Git Visual: A Visual Studio Extension for Version Control

The first step in using Git with Visual Studio is to download Git Extensions from the corresponding Google Code Repository. The following sections will guide you through their corresponding installations.

I recently tried out the plugin and, although it integrates seamlessly with Visual Studio (similar to TFS), I found it still a bit too beta for my taste. Currently, the best alternative I have found is to install Git Extensions for Windows and the Git Source Control Provider Visual Studio Plugin. You can find these tools here: Visual Studio Tools for Git (Microsoft). Scott Hanselman has also written about this extension.

It appears that Microsoft is now recognizing Git as a valuable alternative to its proprietary TFS (Team Foundation Server) when it comes to version control, and as such, it has started releasing its own Visual Studio extension. This extension is currently in the 'preview' phase.

If you're new to Git terminology, please refer to my previous article for an introduction. For .NET developers looking for information on this topic, I decided to write this article using a similar approach, but showcasing the use of Git from within Visual Studio.

In my previous article, 'Git Explained for Beginners,' I aimed to introduce Git to beginners based on its underlying tree structure. Since that article was quite popular and as I'm currently planning an introduction to our development workflow, I thought it would be a good idea to follow up with this article.

Git visual