Home/ Questions/Q 1148
Next
Answered

askthedev.com Latest Questions

Asked: 2024-09-22T11:42:28+05:30 In:

How can I combine changes from one local Git branch into another local branch? What are the steps to achieve this without affecting the current branch?

Hey everyone!

I’m currently working on a project using Git, and I need a bit of help. I have two local branches: `feature-branch` where I’ve made some changes, and `development` which is my main working branch. I want to combine the changes from `feature-branch` into `development`, but I want to make sure that the current branch I’m on (which is `development`) remains unaffected while I’m doing this.

What are the steps I should follow to achieve this? Any tips or best practices would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Share

    Leave an answer

    You must login to add an answer.

    Need An Account,

    2 Answers

    1. Best Answer
      To combine the changes from your feature-branch into development without affecting the development branch as you work, you can use the following steps:
      
1. First, make sure you have all the latest changes for the branches involved. This can be done using git fetch or git pull:
      

      

      git checkout development
      

      git pull origin development
      

      git checkout feature-branch
      

      git pull origin feature-branch
      

      

      
2. Next, you'll want to merge those changes into development . Before doing that, ensure the development branch is checked out:
      

      

      

      git checkout development
      

      

      
3. Now, you can merge feature-branch into development:
      

      

      

      git merge feature-branch
      

      

      Or if you want to keep the history clean, you might consider using git rebase:
      

      

      

      git rebase feature-branch
      

      

      However, rebasing can rewrite the commit history, so use it with care especially if feature-branch is already shared with others.
      

      
4. If there are any conflicts, Git will prompt you to resolve them
      
							
      
							
      
														
      
														
      
							
      
								
															
      
						
      
						
      
					
      
				
      
							
		
      2. 
			
    2. 
				
      
										
      
						
      
														
      
																
      
									
      
																			
      
																			
																	
      
							
      
						
      
						
      
							
							
      
								

      
  
      

      To combine the changes from your `feature-branch` into the `development` branch while keeping the `development` branch unaffected during the process, you can use Git’s merge functionality in a controlled manner. First, ensure you have all your changes committed in both branches. Then, you can either create a temporary branch from `development` to test the merge or use a new branch to check the outcome of the merge. Here are the steps: checkout your `development` branch using git checkout development, and then create a new branch for testing using git checkout -b test-merge. After that, perform the merge with git merge feature-branch. This way, you can inspect the changes and resolve any conflicts without impacting your `development` branch.
      

      If the merge goes smoothly and you’re satisfied with the changes, you can merge `test-merge` back into `development`. Use git checkout development to switch back, and then execute git merge test-merge. However, if you find issues or decide the changes aren’t what you want, you can simply delete the test branch using git branch -d test-merge and your `development` branch will remain unchanged. This method not only helps with safety during merges but also encourages a good practice of testing changes in isolation before they affect your primary working branch.
      

        
      

      
							
      
							
      
														
      
														
      
							
      
								
															
      
						
      
						
      
					
      
				
      
							
		
      3. 
			
    3. 
				
      
										
      
						
      
														
      
																
      
									
      
																			
      
																			
																	
      
							
      
						
      
						
      
							
							
      
								

      

      

      
    
      
    
      
    Git Branch Merge Help
      

      

      

      Combining Changes from One Branch to Another in Git
      

      Hi there!
      

      It sounds like you’re looking to merge changes from your feature-branch into your development branch without affecting your current work in development. Here are the steps to do that:
      

        

      1. Switch to the development branch: Make sure you are on the development branch. You can do this by running:
        2. 

        git checkout development
        

      2. Update your development branch: It’s a good idea to ensure your development branch is up to date. You can pull any changes from the remote repository like this:
        3. 

        git pull origin development
        

      3. Merge feature-branch into development: Now you can merge your feature branch into the development branch with the following command:
        4. 

        git merge feature-branch
        

      4. Handle merge conflicts (if any): If there are conflicts, Git will let you know. You’ll need to resolve these conflicts manually and then mark them as resolved:
        5. 

        git add .
        

        git commit -m "Resolved merge conflicts"
        

      5. Push your changes: Once everything is merged and resolved, you can push your updated development branch to the remote repository:
        6. 

        git push origin development
        

      

      Some tips to keep in mind:
      

        

      • Always make sure to back up your branches before performing merges, especially if you’re not sure what the outcome will be.
        • 

      • You can create a new branch before merging for extra safety with git checkout -b backup-development.
        • 

      • Regularly pulling changes from your remote repository helps avoid larger merge conflicts later.
        • 

      

      Good luck with your project!
      


      

      
							
      
							
      
														
      
														
      
							
      
								
															
      
						
      
						
      
					
      
				
      
							
		
      4. 
					
    
							
    
		
    
	
    
	
					
    
					
    
		
    
			
    Related Questions