The normal workflow is that we add files to our local working copy before they get added to the repository. Our local working copy is like the launch-pad where we rocket our code into that far away repository. You probably already have files sitting in a folder somewhere that you're dying to bring under version control, but first we are going to try this out using some test files, just to make sure that it will work. Hey, the Russians blasted Laika the dog into space aboard Sputnik 2 long before they tried it with a human being.
To begin, try saving a copy of a file into your working copy folder. We're naming this file laika.php. The process here is always going to be two-part: you do your regular coding work, and then you come back to SVN and do your versioning. After saving laika.php to your working copy, head back to the command line to see what SVN thinks about it. We use SVN's status command to get a rundown of the changes that have happened in this folder:
svn status /path...