Step 3: Using Git and GitHub to track changes

Using Git to track changes, and uploading the theme to GitHub, provide several benefits:

  1. Convenience for sharing the latest version of the theme with other people.
  2. Backup in case the copy on your computer is lost.
  3. Ability to roll back to old versions of the theme if you make a mistake.
  4. The ability to submit a theme for official approval on icon BetterDiscord and icon Replugged.
  5. icon Vencord users can use the online themes feature to quickly access your theme without needing to download it.

3.1: Setting up the theme repository on GitHub

  1. Make a GitHub account.
  2. Make a new repository.
    • Set visibility to Public, to allow setting up GitHub Pages.
    • README, .gitignore, and license can be added later if needed.
  3. Click Add File and upload your theme file(s).
  4. In the repository’s Settings, go to Pages > Build and deployment > Source, selecting Deploy from a branch.
  5. The option of selecting a branch and folder will now appear. For now, main and / (root) are fine. Save the changes.

If you don’t intend on making many/any changes to your theme, that’s it done. Your theme can now be found at https://accountname.github.io/RepoName/FileName, eg. https://saltssaumure.github.io/xp-discord-theme/Exponent.theme.css.

3.2: Using Git to track your theme updates

  1. Download and install Git.
  2. Install GitHub Desktop.
  3. Clone your repository (ie, download it to your computer).
  4. Inside the folder just created (which will be your repository’s name by default), make any changes you like to the contents. You could edit the theme file, add other files, or delete unwanted files. Just don’t change the .git folder or its contents.
  5. Create a commit, a snapshot of the current state of the repository. In GitHub Desktop, select the changed file(s) and write a summary of the changes before clicking Commit.
    • Commit often, so that summaries are easy to write and mistakes can be reverted without undoing a larger amount of work.
  6. Push your commit(s) to GitHub to sync your changes, by clicking Push to origin.

There are other more powerful ways of using Git, eg. command line and GitKraken. For basic purposes though, GitHub Desktop works just fine.