Git (Team)

When working in a team, it is important to have a good version control system. Git is a popular version control system that allows you to keep track of changes to your code and collaborate with others. In this guide, we will cover some of the basics of using Git in a team setting.

git fetch

The git fetch command is used to download changes from a remote repository. It will download any new branches or changes that have been made since the last time you fetched.

$ git fetch

These changes will be downloaded to your local repository, but they will not be merged into your working directory. To merge the changes into your working directory, you can use the git merge command.

git merge (Fast-Forward)

The git merge command is used to merge changes from one branch into another. It will take the changes from the specified branch and apply them to the current branch.

$ git merge <branch name>

If there are any conflicts between the two branches, Git will prompt you to resolve them before completing the merge.

There are two ways to resolve conflicts: manually editing the conflicted files or using a merge tool. Some popular merge tools include vimdiff, kdiff3, and meld.

If there are no conflicts between your local branch and the remote branch, Git will automatically merge the changes and update your working directory. This is known as a “fast-forward” merge.

git merge with conflicts

When you attempt to merge two branches (one that you fetched and one that you are currently on) that have conflicting changes, Git will stop the merge and prompt you to resolve the conflicts.

This is because Git cannot automatically merge the changes due to the conflicts. You will need to manually resolve the conflicts before the merge can be completed.

Conflicts can occur when the same lines of code have been changed in both branches. You will need to manually resolve these conflicts before the merge can be completed.

When you’ll try to merge two branches with conflicts, you’ll see a message like this:

$ git merge <branch name>
Auto-merging <file name>
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in <file name>
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

To resolve the conflicts, you will need to open the conflicted file in your text editor and manually edit the file to resolve the conflicts.

Conflicts are marked with special markers in the file. You will need to edit the file to remove the conflict markers and resolve the conflicts.

<<<<<<< HEAD
This is the code from the current branch
=======
This is the code from the branch you are merging
>>>>>>> <branch name>

In the example above, the code between <<<<<<< HEAD and ======= is the code from the current branch (local/main), and the code between ======= and >>>>>>> <branch name> is the code from the branch you are mergin (origin/main).

You will need to edit the file to resolve the conflicts and remove the conflict markers. Resolve the conflicts by choosing which code to keep or combining the code from both branches.

Once you have resolved all the conflicts, you can save the file and commit the changes.

WARNING: Git might be default open the file in a text editor called vim. If you are not familiar with vim, you can use another text editor to open the file. The vim editor can be a bit confusing for beginners. It is recommended to use a text editor like nano or VSCode to open the conflicted file.

If you find yourself in the vim editor, you can press i to enter insert mode, make your changes, then press Esc to exit insert mode. To save and exit, you can type :wq and press Enter.

git pull

The git pull command is a combination of git fetch and git merge. It will download changes from a remote repository and merge them into your working directory in one step.

$ git pull

Resolving Conflicts

Conflicts can occur when the same lines of code have been changed in both branches. You will need to manually resolve these conflicts before the merge can be completed.

The way to resolve conflicts is to open the conflicted file in your text editor and manually edit the file to resolve the conflicts. Once you have resolved all the conflicts, you can save the file and commit the changes. This manual edit process takes place in the working directory after a merge has been attempted and failed due to conflicts.

Pull Requests

Pull requests are a way to propose changes to a repository and collaborate with others. When you create a pull request, you are asking the repository owner to review and merge your changes into the main branch.

To create a pull request, you will need to push your changes to a remote branch and then create the pull request on the Git hosting service.

Working with Branches

Branches are an important concept in Git that allow you to work on different features or fixes in isolation. When you create a new branch, you are creating a new line of development that is independent of the main branch (usually called master or main).

To create a new branch, you can use the git checkout -b command. This will create a new branch and switch to it in one step.

$ git checkout -b <branch name>

Once you have made changes on a branch, you can merge those changes back into the main branch using the git merge command.

$ git checkout main
$ git merge <branch name>

At any point, you can check which branch you are on using the git branch command.

$ git branch