> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://lauradang.gitbook.io/notes/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://lauradang.gitbook.io/notes/version-control/git/git-branches.md).

# Git Branches

### Creating a New Branch

```bash
$ git branch
$ git branch (name of new branch)
$ git checkout (name of new branch)
$ git push origin (name of new branch)
```

### Merging branched branches to `master`

**Situation**:

* You have a `master` branch, a `feature` branch, and a `feature2` branch that branches from the `feature` branch (NOT `master`)
* How do you safely merge the `feature` branch and `feature2` branch into `master` and delete these branches?

**Concept**:

1. Open PR for `feature` branch
2. Get code review back for `feature` and add and commit to `feature` as you resolve the code review
3. As you add and commit to `feature`, you have to also keep `feature2` in sync with `feature`. So as you add and commit in `feature`, `git pull` in `feature2` from `feature`
4. Once the code reviews are completed, merge `feature` branch into `master`
5. You cannot delete `feature` branch yet since `feature2`'s parent branch is `feature`
6. Go to the PR for `feature2` and change `feature2`'s parent branch to `master` using the dropdown on Github
7. Now, `feature2` only depends on `master`, so you can now go to the PR for `feature` and safely delete the `feature` branch
8. Now do code review for `feature2` and merge into `master`.
9. Delete `feature2`.

### Keeping child branches up to date with the parent

1. Git checkout into parent branch and pull

```bash
$ git checkout parent-branch
$ git pull
```

1. Git checkout into child branch and pull

```bash
$ git checkout child-branch
$ git merge origin/parent-branch
```

1. Solve any merge conflicts and push commit.

### Get parent branch

Note that this functional is kinda "hacky" and is not a solid solution. It just finds the branch that was merged closest.

```bash
git log origin/master --pretty=format:'%D' origin/<branch_name>^
```

### Get branch stats different from master

```bash
git diff master origin/<branch_name> --shortstat
```