Now you have two branches, main and readme-edits. They look exactly the same, but not for long! Next we’ll add our changes to the new branch. Make and commit changes. Now, you’re on the code view for your readme-edits branch, which is a copy of main. Let’s make some edits. On GitHub, saved changes are called commits.
- README.md Template & Example. Contribute to Jasonnor/README.md development by creating an account on GitHub.
- Sample file for README.md. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
Article version: GitHub.com
Article version: GitHub.com
You can add a README to your GitHub profile to tell other people about yourself.
In this article
About your profile README
You can share information about yourself with the community on GitHub by creating a profile README. GitHub shows your profile README at the top of your profile page.
You decide what information to include in your profile README, so you have full control over how you present yourself on GitHub. Here are some examples of information that visitors may find interesting, fun, or useful in your profile README.
- An 'About me' section that describes your work and interests
- Contributions you're proud of, and context about those contributions
- Guidance for getting help in communities where you're involved
You can format text and include emoji, images, and GIFs in your profile README by using GitHub Flavored Markdown. For more information, see 'Getting started with writing and formatting on GitHub.'
Prerequisites
GitHub will display your profile README on your profile page if all of the following are true.
- You've created a repository with a name that matches your GitHub username.
- The repository is public.
- The repository contains a file named README.md in its root.
- The README.md file contains any content.
Note: If you created a public repository with the same name as your username before July 2020, GitHub won't automatically show the repository's README on your profile. You can manually share the repository's README to your profile by going to the repository on GitHub.com and clicking Share to profile.
Adding a profile README
In the upper-right corner of any page, use the drop-down menu, and select New repository.
Under 'Repository name', type a repository name that matches your GitHub username. For example, if your username is 'octocat', the repository name must be 'octocat'.
Optionally, add a description of your repository. For example, 'My personal repository.'
Select Public.
Select Initialize this repository with a README.
Click Create repository.
Above the right sidebar, click Edit README.
The generated README file is pre-populated with a template to give you some inspiration for your profile README.
For a summary of all the available emojis and their codes, see 'Emoji cheat sheet.'
Removing a profile README
The profile README is removed from your GitHub profile if any of the following apply:
- The README file is empty or doesn't exist.
- The repository is private.
- The repository name no longer matches your username.
The method you choose depends upon your needs, but if you're unsure, we recommend making your repository private. For steps on how to make your repository private, see 'Changing a repository's visibility.'
Further reading
Good documentation is key to the success of any project. Making documentation accessible enables people to learn about a project; making it easy to update ensures that documentation stays relevant.
Two common ways to document a project are README files and wikis:
README files are a quick and simple way for other users to learn more about your work.
Wikis on GitHub help you present in-depth information about your project in a useful way.
It’s a good idea to at least have a README on your project, because it’s the first thing many people will read when they first find your work.
Creating your README
When you create a new repository though GitHub, select “Initialize this repository with a README” unless you plan to import an existing repository.
Your README.md file is now available for editing in your brand-new repository. Your project’s name is at the top, followed by any description you chose to include when creating the repository. READMEs are easy to modify, both on GitHub or locally. Check out the Mastering Markdown guide to learn more about how to modify the text within the file after you’ve made it.
Formatting your README
READMEs generally follow one format in order to immediately orient developers to the most important aspects of your project.
Project name: Your project’s name is the first thing people will see upon scrolling down to your README, and is included upon creation of your README file.
Description: A description of your project follows. A good description is clear, short, and to the point. Describe the importance of your project, and what it does.
Table of Contents: Optionally, include a table of contents in order to allow other people to quickly navigate especially long or detailed READMEs.
Installation: Installation is the next section in an effective README. Tell other users how to install your project locally. Optionally, include a gif to make the process even more clear for other people.
Usage: The next section is usage, in which you instruct other people on how to use your project after they’ve installed it. This would also be a good place to include screenshots of your project in action.
Contributing: Larger projects often have sections on contributing to their project, in which contribution instructions are outlined. Sometimes, this is a separate file. If you have specific contribution preferences, explain them so that other developers know how to best contribute to your work. To learn more about how to help others contribute, check out the guide for setting guidelines for repository contributors.
Credits: Include a section for credits in order to highlight and link to the authors of your project.
License: Finally, include a section for the license of your project. For more information on choosing a license, check out GitHub’s licensing guide!
Your README should contain only the necessary information for developers to get started using and contributing to your project. Longer documentation is best suited for wikis, outlined below.
Creating your wiki
Every repository on GitHub comes with a wiki. After you’ve created a repository, you can set up the included wiki through the sidebar navigation. Starting your wiki is simply a matter of clicking the wiki button and creating your first page.
Adding content
Wiki content is designed to be easily editable. You can add or change content on any wiki page by clicking the Edit button located in the upper right corner of each page. This opens up the wiki editor.
Wiki pages can be written in any format supported by GitHub Markup. Using the drop-down menu in the editor, you can select the format of your wiki, and then use wiki toolbar to create and include content on a page. Wikis also give you the option of including a custom footer where you can list things like contact details or license information for your project.
GitHub keeps track of changes made to each page in your wiki. Below a page title, you can see who made the most recent edits, in addition to the number of commits made to the page. Clicking on this information will take you to the full page history where you can compare revisions or see a detailed list of edits over time.
Github Readme Example Code
Adding pages
You can add additional pages to your wiki by selecting New Page in the upper right corner. By default, each page you create is included automatically in your wiki’s sidebar and listed in alphabetical order.
You can also add a custom sidebar to your wiki by clicking the Add custom sidebar link. Custom sidebar content can include text, images, and links.
Note: The page called “Home” functions as the entrance page to your wiki. If it is missing, an automatically generated table of contents will be shown instead.
If you're knowledgable with the command line, you can also modify wikis locally. Check out our help article for more info.
Syntax highlighting
Wiki pages support automatic syntax highlighting of code for a wide range of languages by using the following syntax:
The block must start with three backticks, optionally followed by the the name of the language that is contained by the block. See Pygments for the list of languages that can be syntax highlighted.
The block contents should be indented at the same level as the opening backticks. The block must end with three backticks indented at the same level as the opening backticks.
Example Github Readme
You’re done!
You have learned some important information about how to best share your work with the rest of the GitHub community, whether your project is large enough in scope for its own wiki or you’re just starting out and setting up a clear and concise README.
Sample Github Readme
To read more on the topics covered in this article, our guides for creating a new repository, editing files in your repository, setting guidelines for repository contributors and choosing a license are great places to start. Otherwise, check out some other GitHub Guides to keep learning.
Example Readme File Github
Alcatel hs-usb mdm modem 903d driver. Finally, if you’re interested in building a documentation site for your project, we recommend using GitHub Pages.
Example Github Readme
Last updated July 15, 2016