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🏠 Homepage 🏠 Syllabus of Day 2 ⬅️ Previous: 🔀 Merging the PR into Main

9. Resolving Merge Conflicts

What are Merge Conflicts?

A merge conflict occurs when Git cannot automatically combine changes from different branches because the same lines in a file have been changed in both branches. This usually happens during merging or rebasing.

When Do Merge Conflicts Happen?

When two people edit the same line in a file on different branches.
When a file is deleted in one branch but modified in another.
When changes overlap in a way Git cannot resolve automatically.

⚠️ Merge conflicts can occur whether you merge changes using a GitHub Pull Request, git pull, or git fetch + git merge. The steps to resolve conflicts are the same in all cases.

How to Resolve Merge Conflicts

Try to merge branches:
```
git merge branch-name
```
If there are conflicts, Git will pause the merge and mark the conflicted files.
Identify conflicted files:
```
git status
```
Conflicted files will be listed as “both modified”.
Open the conflicted files in your editor.
- Git marks conflicts like this:
```
<<<<<<< HEAD
Your changes
=======
Incoming changes
>>>>>>> branch-name
```
- Edit the file to keep the correct changes and remove the conflict markers.
Stage the resolved files:
```
git add filename.txt
```
Complete the merge:
```
git commit
```
(If you were in the middle of a merge, this will finish it.)

Example Workflow

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git merge feature-branch
# Resolve conflicts in your editor
git add conflicted-file.txt
git commit

Tips for Avoiding Conflicts

Pull the latest changes from the main branch before starting new work.
Communicate with your team about which files you are editing.
Make small, frequent commits and merges.

Tools for Resolving Conflicts in VS Code

VS Code Built-in Merge Editor: VS Code highlights conflicts and provides buttons like “Accept Current Change”, “Accept Incoming Change”, and “Accept Both Changes”.
GitLens Extension: Adds advanced Git features and a better merge conflict UI. GitLens Extension
Git Graph Extension: Visualize your repository, branches, and merges. Git Graph Extension

💡 Other Tips

Use the Source Control panel to see all conflicted files at a glance.
Use the inline diff view (Ctrl+Shift+\) to compare changes side by side.
After resolving, always test your code and run git status to ensure all conflicts are resolved.

Summary Table

Step	Command/Action
Start merge	`git merge branch-name`
Check conflicts	`git status`
Edit files	Resolve conflict markers in editor
Stage resolved files	`git add filename.txt`
Complete merge	`git commit`

Tip:
Take your time resolving conflicts and test your code after merging to ensure everything works

➡️Up Next: 📋Summary & Cheatsheet

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