merge conflicts

[sahilarun]

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How to resolve merge conflicts in GitHub?

[medkohen]

try to do a rebase instead of merge. use your IDE because is more simple to see your conflict, then you can select only the lines of code that you want to merge. I use IntelliJ

[Amrit1604]

When you try to merge one branch into another (like merging a feature branch into main), GitHub might show a merge conflict if both branches have made changes to the same part of a file. Don’t worry—this is common and fixable! Here’s how to handle it step by step:

Method 1: Resolving Conflicts Using GitHub (Simple Conflicts)
If the conflict is simple (e.g., small text files or Markdown), GitHub provides a built-in editor:

Go to the Pull Request Page: If you're merging through a pull request, GitHub will notify you of the conflict.
Click "Resolve Conflicts": This button will show you the conflicting files.
Edit the Conflict:

<<<<<<< main
This is content from the main branch.
=======
This is content from the feature branch.
>>>>>>> feature-branch

Choose which content you want to keep, or manually edit it to combine both.
Mark as Resolved: Click "Mark as resolved" when you’re done.
Commit the Changes: Click "Commit merge" to finalize the resolution.

For more complicated conflicts (e.g., code changes), it’s easier to fix them on your local machine.

Pull the Latest Changes:

bash
Copy code
git pull origin main
Try Merging:

bash
Copy code
git merge feature-branch
See the Conflict Markers:

Open the conflicting file in your code editor. You’ll see conflict markers like this:
text
Copy code
<<<<<<< HEAD
Code from the main branch.

Code from the feature branch.

feature-branch
Resolve the Conflict:

Choose which version to keep, or merge the changes manually.
Add the Resolved Files:

git add filename Commit the Merge:

git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict" Push the Changes:

git push origin main Method 3: Use a Visual Merge Tool
If you prefer a visual interface, tools like VS Code, Sourcetree, or GitKraken can help resolve conflicts without editing the files directly.

In VS Code, you’ll see options like “Accept Current Change”, “Accept Incoming Change”, or “Accept Both Changes” when you open a conflicting file.
Tips to Avoid Merge Conflicts
Pull Changes Frequently: Keep your branch updated with the latest changes from main or develop.
Communicate with Your Team: Let others know when you’re working on shared files.
Break Down Changes: Keep your changes small and focused to reduce conflict risk.