How to Resolve Merge Conflicts in SourceTree

Edited 3 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Merge conflicts are a common problem that developers face when working with version control systems like Git. One of the tools that can help manage Git repositories and resolve these conflicts is SourceTree, a free GUI-based client. This article will walk you through the process of resolving merge conflicts using SourceTree, making sure you understand each step involved.

Understanding merge conflicts

Before getting into the specifics of resolving merge conflicts in SourceTree, it's important to understand what merge conflicts are and why they occur. Merge conflicts occur when branches contain changes that conflict with each other. For example, if two developers modify the same line of a file differently in different branches, Git won't know which change to give priority to when merging the branches.

Conflicts can also occur when one developer edits a file while another deletes or renames it. When Git finds these problems, it will stop the merge process and notify you of the conflict, giving you the opportunity to resolve it manually.

Setting up SourceTree

Before you can resolve merge conflicts using SourceTree, you must install and configure it on your computer. Let's start with the setup:

1. Download and install SourceTree: Go to the official SourceTree website, download the installer that matches your operating system, and follow the installation instructions.
2. Connect to your Git repository: Launch SourceTree and use the "Clone" option to connect to an existing repository or set up a new repository. This repository is where you will encounter and resolve merge conflicts.

Once SourceTree is installed and your repository is connected, you're ready to deal with merge conflicts.

Identifying merge conflicts

Conflicts usually appear during the merge process. You can follow these steps to identify conflicts in SourceTree:

1. Attempting a merge: Start by attempting to merge two branches in SourceTree. In the main window, select the branch you want to merge and click the "Merge" button in the toolbar. Select the target branch you want to merge into.
2. Conflict notification: If there is a conflict, SourceTree will notify you with a message that a conflict has been detected.
3. View conflicts: Click the "File Status" tab in SourceTree to view a list of files that have conflicts. Files that have conflicts are usually marked with a red exclamation mark.

Resolving merge conflicts

Here's how SourceTree can be effectively used to resolve these conflicts:

Step 1: Open up the conflict

Start by double-clicking on the file with the merge conflict in the "File Status" list. SourceTree will open the conflicted file in its external diff/merge tool, known as the "Diff Viewer."

The Diff Viewer is a powerful feature that visually differentiates between conflicting branches. You'll see three main sections:

• Base: Shows the original version of the file before any conflicting changes were made.
• Local: Displays the changes made to your working branch.
• Remote: Shows the changes made to the branch you are merging into.

Each section provides a comparison with each other, making it easier to identify differences. You can see markers like <<<<<<< HEAD and >>>>>>> branch-name that indicate conflict areas.

Step 2: Manual conflict resolution

The next step is to resolve these conflicts manually:

1. Review the changes: Check both the "local" and "remote" changes carefully. Decide which change to keep or if a new merge of both changes is required.
2. Select Modify: Manually edit the conflicting lines to apply the preferred result. Make sure that conflict markers such as <<<<<<< and >>>>>>> and the dividing line ======= are removed from the file.
3. Save changes: Once you're satisfied with the changes you made in your text editor, save the file. SourceTree's Diff Viewer will accept these changes automatically.

Step 3: Mark the conflict as resolved

Now that the conflict in the file is resolved, it's time to mark it as resolved in SourceTree:

1. Return to SourceTree: Return to SourceTree. In the "File Status" view, locate the file you resolved.
2. Stage changes: Select the resolved file and click the "Stage" button. This action tells Git that the file conflicts have been manually resolved.

Step 4: Commit the resolved merge

Once all conflicts have been resolved and phased out, you are ready to commit to the results of the merge:

1. Commit the merge: Open the "Commit" window in SourceTree by clicking the "Commit" button. Add a commit message describing the resolution of the conflicts. Click "Commit" to finalize the operation.
2. Completing the merge: This commit will effectively complete the merge process, and write the changes to your Git repository's history.

Preventing merge conflicts

Although this guide focuses on resolving disputes, it's a good idea to adopt methods that minimize disputes:

• Frequent pulling and merging: Regularly pull changes from the main branch and merge them into your working branch to catch conflicts early and avoid larger, more complex conflicts.
• Communication: Communicate with your team to coordinate feature development and avoid parallel editing on the same files.
• Branching strategy: Use an efficient branching model like Git Flow to manage and isolate work on features, releases, and hotfixes.

Closing thoughts

Merge conflicts are an inevitable part of collaborative development in Git repositories. However, tools like SourceTree can simplify the process of resolving these conflicts by providing clear visual aids and a user-friendly interface. By understanding the nature of conflicts, using SourceTree efficiently, and adopting good practices, you can navigate and resolve merge conflicts with greater ease and confidence.

While this guide presents a complete way to deal with conflicts, remember that practice and experience play a key role in mastering conflict resolution. The more you work with merge conflicts, the more skilled you will become at resolving them quickly and efficiently.

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