Convenient way to move branch pointer around?

[PhotonQuantum]

When adopting the divergent workflow, I often need to point branch pointer to head to exit detached head mode, so I may upload my work to git server.

Currently, I'm doing this:

1. git branch temp
2. git switch main
3. git merge temp

Is there a better way?

[arxanas]

Hi @PhotonQuantum, can you clarify a little more about your workflow? What do you do after git merge temp? Do you git push the main branch? Or, for example, do you use the branch to open a code review for others to see?

I think there's two parts of your problem which have to be addressed:

• How do I sync my changes with the latest main, without branches?
• How do I push the updated code, without branches?

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For syncing, git-branchless provides the git sync command, which will rebase your stacks on top of the main branch. Note that it does a rebase rather than a merge.

If you want to do a merge, you can also just do it the other way, and write git merge main while you're on your commit.

Or, you can run git switch main and then git merge abc123, where abc123 is the commit hash in question. (Usually I just copy and paste the hash from git sl.)

---

For pushing, you could just run git sync and then git branch -f main to forcibly update the main branch to the current commit, then git push it. (Or git branch -f main abc123 to set it to an arbitrary commit.)

I personally don't use a local main branch at all, and I just work using origin/main. In those cases, if I want to push a commit, I run git sync and then git push origin HEAD:main, which means "push the HEAD commit and set the remote main to that".

If you're using a service which requires you to have a branch name, then there's not much you can do about that. I usually do git checkout -b temp or git checkout -b temp abc123 and then gh pr create to invoke the Github CLI to create a PR for that branch. Unfortunately, the gh command doesn't offer a way of creating a PR without having the branch in question checked out.

UPDATE: I recently learned that git checkout -B <branch> <target> will forcibly move the branch <branch> and check out <target> as a single operation.

UPDATE: gh does let you create a PR without having the branch checked out, using the --head option. However, you must first manually push the branch to the remote.

[PhotonQuantum]

git branch -f main

Oh I didn't know I can force update a branch. This is what I want first.

My old workflow involves a local main branch, and potentially several temporary feature branches. Now I'm integrating this workflow with the divergent one. The idea of complete branchless is brand new to me, but certainly sounds an interesting one!

As you said, the biggest problem is external services. Intellij IDEs warn me when I commit to detached head, and Github PR creation requires a branch. So I'm taking traditional branch approach when pushing and starting a review, and quick prototyping using this branchless approach. So far I'm quite satisfied this workflow. Anyway thanks for your great tool and helpful answer!

[joshyrobot]

In the use case where you want to fast-forward a local branch, git branch -f main is a bit heavy handed. The git push approach with a "remote" of . will fast-forward if possible and error otherwise, which is a good reminder if you find yourself behind main for whatever reason. Like this: git push . HEAD:main

[claytonrcarter]

If you are just trying to merge an anonymous branch into main, I think that git switch main; git merge @{1} would work w/o having to create the temp branch. Basically, git doesn't need a branch to perform a merge, it will gladly (or so it seems from my playing with it) merge specific commits and/or anonymous branches.

If the merge would be a fast forward merge (ie your anonymous branch is already based on the current main), then I guess you can also just manually move the branch: git branch -f main HEAD. If main has progressed since your anonymous branch was created, though, this will "lose" those commits. In this case, you'd want to git rebase main ; git branch -f main HEAD.

[PhotonQuantum]

Thanks for your reply! I thought git would reject a bare commit and require a named branch because this was what some random stackoverflow answers said, but it turns out to be false.