How to Use SourceTree for Branching and Merging

Edited 6 days ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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SourceTree is a free Git client for Windows and macOS. It simplifies the way you interact with Git repositories and provides a visual representation of your branching and merging process. Using SourceTree, you can easily streamline and manage multiple projects.

Understanding the basics of Git

Before diving into SourceTree, it is essential to understand some basic Git concepts. Git is a distributed version control system that helps track changes to source code during software development. It allows multiple developers to work on a project simultaneously without interfering with each other's work.

Key Git concepts

• Repository (repo) : The repository contains all the files, their history and other data.
• Branch : A branch is a parallel version of a repository. It allows you to work on new features or bug fixes without affecting the main codebase.
• Merging : Merging takes changes from one branch and integrates them into another branch.
• Commit : This is a snapshot of your repository at a specific point in time.

Getting started with SourceTree

SourceTree makes it easy to perform Git operations with a simple graphical interface. Here's how to get started:

1. Install SourceTree : Download SourceTree from its official website and follow the installation instructions.
2. Open SourceTree : Once installed, open SourceTree on your computer.
3. Clone the repository : If you already have a Git repository you want to use, you can clone it:
   1. Click Clone/New in SourceTree.
   2. Enter the URL of your remote repository and choose the path where you want to clone on your system.
   3. Click Clone to download the repository to your local machine.

Creating branches in SourceTree

Creating a branch in SourceTree is simple:

1. Open the repository where you want to create the branch.
2. Make sure your current state is clean (no uncommitted changes).
3. Click the branch icon in the SourceTree toolbar.
4. In the dialog that appears, enter a name for your new branch.
5. If you want to switch to the new branch immediately make sure the Checkout new branch option is checked.
6. Click Create Branch to make it live.

Branches are often used to develop features other than the main branch, usually known as main or master. This allows developers to work on new functions without affecting the existing codebase.

Example of branching

Imagine you want to work on a new feature for a web application. You can create a new branch named new-feature like this:

 git branch new feature 

Using SourceTree simplifies this process, requiring only filling in details and clicking a few buttons, reducing the chance of errors.

Merger with SourceTree

After you've finished working on a branch, you'll probably want to merge it back into the main branch so that those changes can be made part of the main codebase. Here's how you can perform merging using SourceTree:

1. First, make sure the branch you want to merge into is checked out. This is usually the main branch.
2. Click the Merge icon in the toolbar.
3. Select the branch you want to merge with the current branch.
4. Preview the merge if available. This feature shows potential conflicts.
5. If everything looks okay, click Merge to integrate the branches.

Merging may not always be straightforward. Let's look at an example scenario:

Example of a merger

Imagine you have finished coding for new-feature and now need to merge it into main branch.

 git checkout main git merge new feature 

This example demonstrates how to perform merges using Git command-line commands, but SourceTree provides a user-friendly graphical alternative that greatly simplifies these tasks.

Dealing with merge conflicts

Sometimes, merging branches can lead to conflicts that occur when two branches have changes to the same line of code. SourceTree highlights these conflicts and provides an interface to handle them.

1. SourceTree will alert you if any conflicts arise while merging.
2. You can view conflicts and resolve them in SourceTree by choosing which changes to keep.
3. Mark the conflicts as resolved after making the necessary changes.
4. Commit to him to finalize the merge.

Committing to change

Once you've made changes and resolved conflicts on a branch, it's important to commit those changes so they're saved:

1. Make sure all desired changes are ready for commit. You can do this in SourceTree by checking out the files you modified.
2. Click the Commit button in the SourceTree toolbar.
3. Enter a meaningful message describing the changes.
4. Click Commit to finalize your changes.

The commit operation is an important concept in Git. It saves a snapshot of your project's state and allows tracking all modifications.

Advanced tips for SourceTree

While branching and merging are fundamental functions, SourceTree also provides advanced features for more complex workflows:

Hiding changes

When you need to switch branches but have uncommitted changes, stashing can temporarily save your work. In SourceTree, you can stash changes in the following way:

1. Clicking the Stash button in SourceTree.
2. Entering a stash message to describe the changes.
3. Later, you can apply these stashed changes back using the 'Apply Stash' option.

Interactive rebase

Rebasing allows you to modify the commit history. This is useful for cleaning up the commit log before merging into the main branch. SourceTree's interface makes this complex operation simple:

1. Select the Rebase option in SourceTree.
2. Select the commits to rebase interactively.
3. Resolve any disputes that may arise during the process.

Tagging releases

Tags can be used to mark important points in your project, such as releases. Tagging in SourceTree can be done as follows:

1. Selecting the commit you want to tag.
2. Click Create Tag and provide the tag name and description.

Keep your work organized

Working with Git and SourceTree involves managing a variety of tasks while maintaining organization:

• Consistently use meaningful branch names that describe the task, such as feature-login-form or bugfix-authentication.
• Write descriptive commit messages so future collaborators can understand the history.
• Regularly pull changes from the main repository to keep your local repository up to date and avoid conflicts.
• Use the diff tool provided by SourceTree at any time to review changes before commit or to get a better idea about codebase changes.

Conclusion

Using SourceTree for Git version control tasks such as branching and merging can significantly enhance the development workflow. By providing a graphical interface, SourceTree provides an easier and more accessible way to manage repositories. These tools can help you organize your workflow, keep your work professional, and ensure that teamwork is smooth and efficient. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, mastering SourceTree can be a valuable addition to your toolkit.

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