When working with Git on IBM i systems, it's common to encounter conflicts when merging changes from different branches. Conflicts occur when Git is unable to automatically reconcile the changes made in two separate branches. Resolving these conflicts is an essential skill for IBM i developers using Git. In this lesson, we'll cover the process of resolving Git conflicts on IBM i systems.
Step 1: Access the PASE Environment
If you're using Git installed in the IBM i Portable Application Solutions Environment (PASE), you'll need to access the PASE command line. You can do this by logging in to your IBM i system and running the following command:
This will take you to the PASE command prompt, where you can run Git commands.
Step 2: Navigate to the Git Repository
Navigate to the directory where you have initialized your Git repository. This is typically the directory where your IBM i application source code is located. You can use the cd
command to change directories, for example:
Step 3: Merge the Conflicting Branches
Attempt to merge the branches that are causing the conflict using the git merge
command. For example, if you're trying to merge the "feature/new-functionality" branch into the "main" branch, you would run:
git merge feature/new-functionality
This will trigger the merge process, and if there are any conflicts, Git will pause the merge and ask you to resolve them.
Step 4: Identify Conflicting Files
When a conflict occurs, Git will mark the conflicting sections in the affected files. You can use the git status
command to see which files have conflicts:
This will show you a list of the files with conflicts, as well as the overall status of the repository.
Step 5: Resolve the Conflicts
To resolve the conflicts, you'll need to open the conflicting files in an editor and manually choose which changes to keep. Git will mark the conflicting sections with the following markers:
# Your changes
=======
# Changes from the other branch
>>>>>>> feature/new-functionality
You'll need to remove these markers and keep the changes you want to preserve, then save the file.
Step 6: Stage the Resolved Conflicts
After resolving the conflicts in the affected files, you need to stage the changes using the git add
command:
This tells Git that you've resolved the conflicts in the specified file.
Step 7: Complete the Merge
Once you've resolved all the conflicts and staged the changes, you can complete the merge by running:
This will create a new commit that incorporates the merged changes from both branches.
Step 8: Verify the Merge
After the merge is complete, you can use the git log
command to view the commit history and ensure that the conflicts were properly resolved:
This will display the commit history in a graphical format, showing the branching and merging of the repository.
In summary, resolving Git conflicts on IBM i systems is a crucial skill for developers working in a collaborative environment. By following these steps, you can effectively identify and resolve conflicts, ensuring a smooth integration of changes from different branches into your IBM i application codebase.