#Git cookbook

Git basics

Stage and commit

git add s1
git commit -m "message"

Every commit has a SHA1 hash.

Add and commit files

git commit -a -m "update README"

Check logs git log

Git branching and merging

HEAD normally points to a branch. By default it is a master branch.

show graph of commits and branches

git log --all --decorate --oneline --graph

branch

• Commit: 1
• Commit: 2 <- (master <- HEAD)

New branch

git branch branchA

git branch branchB

• Commit: 2 <- (master <- HEAD), branchA, branchB

show all branches git branch

move HEAD to a branch git checkout branchA git add; git commit

• Commit: 3 <- (branchA <- HEAD)
• Commit: 2 <- master, branchB

move HEAD to another branch git checkout branchB

• Commit: 3 <- branchA
• Commit: 2 <- (branchB <- HEAD), master

commit some changes git add; git commit

• Commit: 3 <- branchA
• Commit: 2 <- master
• Commit: 4 <- (branchB <- HEAD)

Fast forward merge

When there is a direct path between master and a branch fast forward merge is possible. In this case the master just moves to the (latest) commit of the branch.

git checkout master

• Commit: 3 <- branchA
• Commit: 2 <- (master <- HEAD)
• Commit: 4 <- branchB

difference in two branches

git diff master..branchA

merge

git merge branchA

• Commit: 3 <- (master <- HEAD), branchA
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4 <- branchB

Now we don't need branchA because it has been merged with master, and both point to same commit.

Check which commits are already merged with branch we are on. git branch --merged

git branch -d branchA

• Commit: 3 <- (master <- HEAD)
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4 <- branchB

Three way merge

When there is no direct path between two branches. In this example, master is now on commit 3, and branchB is on commit 4. Both have common base, commit 2. But branchB doesn't have master branch's commit as base. In this case we will need three way merge.

git merge branchB This results in a separate commit.

• Commit: 3
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4
• Commit: 5 <- (master <- HEAD), branchB

When there is no conflict you just continue the merge. If there is conflict you need to resolve the conflict.

Now you can delete branchB. git branch -d branchB

• Commit: 3
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4
• Commit: 5 <- (master <- HEAD)

Merging with conflict

git checkout -b dev

• Commit: 3
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4
• Commit: 5 <- (dev <- HEAD), master

git add; git commit

git checkout master Make changes to file on same lines as done in dev branch causing conflict. Or delete a line that dev inherited from base. git add; git commit

• Commit: 3
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4
• Commit: 5 <- dev
• Commit: 6 <- (master <- HEAD)

Now, dev is not in direct path of master. And the changes done to master are conflicting. That means Git can't automatically resolve it. A human being has to step in to merge the files. So this will be a three way merge with conflicts .

dev......master

.......\..../

.......base

git merge dev ...-> You hve unmerged paths. A file with conflict is merged, adding changes from both branches. And a human being is supposed to resolve and then commit. The merged file will have Git markers such as

<<<<<<< HEAD
  some text
======
  some other text
>>>>>>> dev

You delete the Git markers and keep the text you want to finally go in merge. git add; git commit This creates merge commit.

• Commit: 3
• Commit: 2
• Commit: 4
• Commit: 5 <- dev
• Commit: 6
• Commit: 7 <- (master <- HEAD)

Abort merge

git merge --abort

Detached HEAD

Usually head points to a branch which points to a commit. But if HEAD points directly to a commit it is called detached HEAD. git status git checkout <commit-hash>

You can handle it by simply git checkout <branch-name>

Or you can create a branch on commit where HEAD is pointing. git checkout <commit-hash> git branch stage This will make stage and HEAD point to same commit. Still, the HEAD is not yet pointing to a branch. So this is still a Detached HEAD. git checkout stage Now HEAD points to same commit as stage.

Stash

When you are in a branch and change a file, you have a file in your working tree. Now if you want to switch to another branch then you either commit the change or stash it. git stash save "message" git stash list -p

To bring in the changes for a stash git stash apply This will get the changes of the last stash. This will keep the stash still in the list. To remove the stash git stash pop

To get changes of a particular stash git stash list -p git stash apply <stash-id>