Rebasing with GIT on the IBM i Power System

Rebasing is a powerful Git feature that allows you to rewrite the commit history of your repository. This can be particularly useful when working on IBM i applications, where you may need to keep your local branch up-to-date with the main development branch. In this lesson, you will learn how to use Git rebase to maintain a clean and linear commit history on the IBM i Power System.

Understanding Git Rebase

Git rebase is the process of taking a series of commits from one branch and "replaying" them on top of another branch. This is different from a merge, which creates a new commit that combines the changes from both branches.

Rebasing can be useful in the following scenarios:

  • Keeping your local branch up-to-date with the main development branch
  • Cleaning up your commit history before merging your changes
  • Resolving conflicts between your local branch and the main branch

Performing a Rebase

To rebase your local branch with the main branch, follow these steps:

  • Open a terminal or command prompt on your IBM i Power System.
  • Navigate to your Git repository for your IBM i application.
  • Ensure that your local branch is up-to-date with the main branch:
git checkout main
git pull
  • Switch back to your local branch:
git checkout your-local-branch
  • Initiate the rebase process:
git rebase main

This will take the commits from your local branch and "replay" them on top of the latest commits from the main branch.

  • If there are any conflicts during the rebase process, Git will pause the rebase and ask you to resolve the conflicts. Once the conflicts are resolved, add the resolved files and continue the rebase:
git add .
git rebase --continue
  • Repeat step 6 until the rebase is complete.

Handling Conflicts During Rebase

When rebasing, you may encounter conflicts between your local changes and the changes in the main branch. In this case, Git will pause the rebase process and ask you to resolve the conflicts.

To resolve the conflicts:

  • Identify the conflicting files by running:
git status
  • Open the conflicting files and manually resolve the conflicts by choosing the appropriate changes.
  • Add the resolved files to the staging area:
git add .
  • Continue the rebase process:
git rebase --continue

Repeat these steps until all conflicts are resolved, and the rebase is complete.

Pushing Rebased Commits

After successfully rebasing your local branch, you will need to force-push your changes to the remote repository. This is because the rebase has rewritten the commit history, and a regular git push will be rejected.

To force-push your rebased commits:

git push --force-with-lease

The --force-with-lease option ensures that you don't accidentally overwrite any changes that have been pushed to the remote repository since your last pull.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices when using Git rebase on the IBM i Power System:

  • Rebase your local branch regularly to keep it up-to-date with the main branch.
    Avoid rebasing public branches (like the main branch) to prevent confusion and conflicts for other team members.
  • Use rebase sparingly and only when necessary, as it can make the commit history more difficult to understand.
  • Always review the changes before and after a rebase to ensure that everything is as expected.
  • Communicate with your team about any rebasing activities to avoid conflicts and confusion.

By following these best practices, you can effectively use Git rebase to maintain a clean and linear commit history on the IBM i Power System, ensuring a smooth and efficient development workflow.

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