How to code collaboratively?

In Geomatics, you'll do a lot of coding, and in a lot of assignments, you'll do this as a team. On this page you'll find a list of the different methods for collaborating and our recommendations. Underneath, you'll find a full list of the pros and cons of each method.

• Meeting up and writing everything together on the same computer: Recommended for helping each other, and for starting new projects. Can be used in combination with a version control system (see below).
• Sending each other snippets of code: Only recommended for helping each other if meeting up is not possible. Not recommended for projects.
• Each person works on their own file and at the end you combine them: Not recommended without also using a version control system.
• Using realtime code collaboration tools (like Google Docs but for coding): Not recommended without also using a version control system.
• Using a version control system like git: Highly recommended to learn and start using as early as possible, even for small projects.

Pros and cons:

Method	Pros	Cons
Meeting up and writing everything together on the same computer.	Simple and no merging difficulties. Easy to discuss, everyone knows what is going on. Quick to make decisions and get things started.	No individual responsibilities. Learning programming can be faster and more effective by writing code and experimenting yourself than by reading and discussing it. Takes more time. Sometimes difficult to schedule meeting.
Sending each other snippets of code.	Simple and quick. No need for setup or installing any tools. Very suitable for helping with bugs or quick suggestions.	Only for very small projects or quick fixes. Difficult to track history. Leads to mistakes and misunderstandings. Difficult to work simultaneously.
Each person works on their own file, and at the end you combine them	Clear responsibilities of who works on what. No need for setup or installing any tools. Possible to work simultaneously.	Merging can be difficult and take a long time. You only find bugs at the end, while combining. Difficult to get an overview of the project. Difficult to track history. Only for small projects.
Using realtime code collaboration tools (like Google Docs but for coding).	Very easy to use. You can see in real-time what people are working on. No merge conflicts.	Requires constant internet connection. Everyone needs to use the same software. Often a paid feature. Is missing many of the tools a version control system offers.
Using a version control system like git.	Tracks by who, when, and why changes were made. Works from tiny to enormous projects. Also very useful for individual projects. Never fear to make changes, as you can always undo them. No internet required, only when syncing changes. Used by almost all big software projects/companies. Can be used to back up your code.	Takes time to set up. Everyone needs to download and learn the tool. Can be intimidating to learn, especially the command line. Merge conflicts can be tricky to solve. Advanced features can be quite complicated. You need to remember to commit changes and write a description. You need to agree who works on what, because you only find out what your team is working on after they commit and push the changes.