If you ask the average Git user, what program they use to interface with Git, chances are pretty high that they'll say "the command line". And once you understand what happens when you type each Git command, chances are you'll be just as happy to do the same. However, when you're just getting started, it can be useful to use a GUI (or Graphical User Interface) to visualize what's happening each time you enter a command.

So, in this video we'll install SourceTree which will do just that. Then, as we progress in the series, we'll come back to SourceTree to see what our commands have done.

Install SourceTree

• Download SourceTree from their website
• Open the disk image
• Drag the "SourceTree.app" icon onto the "Applications" directory icon
• Go to the "Applications" folder and double click on "SourceTree" to open the application
• Click "Open"
• Agree to the license agreement
• Choose whether or not you want to "Help improve SourceTree"
• Click "Continue"

I'm not going to add any accounts at this time. When we create accounts on BitBucket and GitHub, we'll come back and add them at that time. But for now, I'll click "Skip setup".

Now, I'll drag and drop a git repository folder onto the SourceTree window. When I do that, you'll see it in the list of local bookmarks.

When I double click that list item, SourceTree opens a new window that shows a visual representation of the repo with buttons that I can use to perform actions like Commit, Checkout, Push and Pull.

Since we're justing getting started with Git, a lot of this might not make sense to you. Don't worry, though, as we go through the series, you'll learn what these commands mean, and when you open up a GUI tool to help visualize what's going on in Git, everything will make more sense.