Creating a merge conflict
To show a simple example of how a merge conflict can happen, we can manually trigger a merge conflict from the following set of commands in any UNIX terminal / GIT bash :
Step 1: Create a new directory using the mkdir command, and cd into it.
Step 2: initialize it as a new Git repository using the git init command and create a new text file using the touch command.
Step 3: Open the text file and add some content in it, then add the text file to the repo and commit it.
Step 4: Now, its time to create a new branch to use it as the conflicting merge. Use git checkout to create and checkout the new branch.
Step 5: Now, overwrite some conflicting changes to the text file from this new branch.
Step 6: Add the changes to git and commit it from the new branch.
With this new branch: new_branch_for_merge_conflict we have created a commit that overrides the content of test_file.txt
Step 7: Again checkout the master branch, and this time append some text to the test_file.txt from the master branch.
Step 8: add these new changes to the staging area and commit them.
Step 9: Now for the last part, try merging the new branch to the master branch and you will encounter the second type of merge conflict.
So, now we have successfully triggered a merge conflict in Git.
Merge Conflicts and How to handle them
Merge conflicts are a common issue in collaborative software development when using version control systems like Git. They occur when changes from different branches clash and Git cannot automatically merge them.
Understanding how to handle merge conflicts is important for maintaining a smooth workflow. This article will explain what merge conflicts are, why they happen, and how to resolve them effectively.
Table of Content
- What are Merge Conflicts?
- Common Causes of Merge Conflicts
- Types of Merge Conflicts
- Creating a merge conflict
- Handling the Merge Conflict