Tell a story first:
One fine day, Alex pulls changes from the remote repository into his local repository.
He modifies the file named, staging it, committing it, and finally pushing it back to the remote repository.
Meanwhile, Tina, unaware of Alex's changes to the file, makes some changes in the same area of the file and tries to push it to the remote repository.
Git is a version control system, so it warns Tina that the version she's modifying is earlier than the one in the remote (because Alex's changes are already in the remote).
Now, Tina needs to pull the changes from the remote, update the file, and then try to push it.
Tina does this. However, in her wildest nightmare, she gets a warning that "auto-merge" failed, so she now needs to resolve the merge conflict.
Does this story ring any bells? Does the above story relate to you? It's possible that you've stood in Tina's shoes in the past. If not, you will end up in this situation!
What are Git merge conflicts?
A Git merge conflict is an event that occurs when Git is unable to automatically resolve code differences between two commits. Git can only automatically merge changes if the commits are on different rows or branches.
How to resolve Git merge conflicts?
First, it is important to note that conflicts in the Git merge process cannot be avoided during team development. It can only be minimized, but it is impossible to completely eliminate conflicts.
Method 1: Create a short-term branch
To minimize the risk of merge conflicts, it is recommended to create short-term branches for development. Long-term branches can lead to a large number of merge conflicts, especially if the feature branch is being developed for days or even weeks.
If a branch is created that exists for only a few hours or a day, the likelihood of a merge conflict is greatly reduced. Even if a conflict arises, the time and risk of resolution will be relatively low. This is because short-term branches have fewer changes and are less likely to overlap with changes in other branches, thus reducing the chance of conflicts and lowering merge risk.
Approach II: Small Classes
In code development, the principle of single responsibility should be followed, i.e., a class should be responsible for only one function, which helps to reduce merge conflicts by avoiding multiple developers modifying the same block of code at the same time. By adopting modular architecture and small class design, it not only improves the code quality but also helps to reduce the risk of merge conflicts.
Methodology III: Effective communication
Communication is crucial in team development. Simultaneous changes to the same code can be minimized by improving communication between team members and ensuring that everyone is aware of what other members are working on and possible code changes. If multiple developers need to change the same section of code, collaborative work is recommended to minimize the risk of conflict.
Method 4: Twinning Programming
Pair programming is particularly useful for scenarios involving identical code changes. By having two developers co-conceive and code the same section of code, the problem of code conflicts arising from simultaneous changes can be avoided. This approach helps to improve code quality and reduce the occurrence of merge conflicts.
Method 5: Timely Rebase
In order to maintain synchronization with the master branch, it is recommended to perform Rebase operations on a regular basis. It is essential to Rebase the master branch at least once a day. This helps to merge changes from other team members into your own branch in a timely manner, avoiding the introduction of too many changes and potential conflicts. This practice is consistent with the purpose of creating short-term branches.