15.5. Merging in Git

A merge in Git combines the code between two branches in a repository. When merging you need to be on the branch you want to merge INTO.

To merge a branch that had a new feature into the main branch, the first step would be to checkout the main branch.

Students-Computer:~ student$ git checkout main

While on the main branch, the command would be git merge feature-branch. This will combine the two branches by pulling our code from feature-branch into main.

The main now contains all code on the feature-branch. Git provides output noting that feature-branch merged into the main branch. Once your merge is complete, commit your work.

Tip

Before running the merge command, verify that you are on the branch you want to merge into!

15.5.1. Merge Conflicts

Merging branchers is often seamless. Sometimes we run into merge conflicts. A merge conflicts occur when a previously existing line of code was altered between two branches. Git raises a conflict when it is not sure which code you actually want to keep. It is waiting for a human to review the issue and decide.

15.5.1.1. Merge Conflict Symbols

Your IDE uses symbols to show you the location of any conflicts. It will also provide the names of the conflicting branches.

Some terms and symbols to pay attention to when conflict arrises.

In Your Terminal:

Git will be the first warning. CONFLICT will appear in your git output. Usually followed by a location for the error.

In Your IDE:

  1. <<<<<<< or <<<<<<< HEAD will appear at the first line of code where a conflict. HEAD points to the current branch you are on, or the current changes. Some IDEs will use the branch name instead of HEAD.

  2. ======= will be the dividing line between the HEAD branch and the incoming branch.

  3. >>>>>>> or >>>>>>> branch-name contains code from the incoming branch to merge in. This notation is often found below the last line of code. This code may also be referred to as the incoming changes.

When a conflict arrives, you get to decide which code you want to keep. Do you want the incoming changes, do you want the current code? You get to decide.

Merge conflicts are minor on small applications, but can cause issues with large enterprise applications. Even though the thought of ruining software can be scary, every programmer deals with a merge conflict during their career. The best way to deal with a merge conflict is to face it head on and rely on teammates for support!

15.5.1.2. Ways to Avoid Merge Conflicts

Even though merge conflicts are normal in Git, it is also normal for programmers to want to do everything they can to avoid them. Here are some tips on how to avoid a merge conflict:

  1. Git has a dry-run option for many commands. When a programmer uses that option, Git outputs what WILL happen, but doesn’t DO it. With merging in Git, the command to run a dry-run and make sure there aren’t any conflicts is git merge --no-commit --no-ff <branch>. --no-commit and --no-ff tell Git to run the merge without committing the result to the repository.

  2. Before merging in a branch, you must deal with any uncommitted work that would cause a conflict. A programmer can opt to not commit that work and instead stash it. Using the git stash command saves the uncommitted work in the stash and returns the repository to the state at the last commit.

15.5.2. Check Your Understanding

Question

If a programmer is currently on a branch called quiz and wants to merge a branch called feature into main, what steps should they take?