Merge independent contributions

Merge independent contributions — guided practice

Use a branch to develop an isolated change and merge it.

Continue with main at two commits and untracked review.md. Keep review.md untouched. notice.txt has four lines.

1. 1. Create a branch and edit

   Run the switch command first. Then stop in the terminal: open notice.txt in your editor, change Repair Cafe to Neighborhood Repair Cafe, and save before continuing.

   git switch -c title-update

   You should see: title-update is active and the saved file has the revised title.

   The branch must be active before you make its intended edit.

2. 2. Commit the branch edit

   After saving the title change, inspect its diff, then stage and commit notice.txt.

   git diff -- notice.txt
   git add notice.txt
   git commit -m "Name the neighborhood event"

   You should see: The branch contains a commit with the revised title.

   The explicit edit-and-save pause prevents an empty commit attempt.

3. 3. Return to main

   Switch to main and read the first line.

   git switch main

   You should see: It reads Repair Cafe again.

   Switching changes the working files to that branch’s saved state.

4. 4. Make separate work

   Change Bring: one small item to Bring: one small unplugged item. Save, stage and commit.

   git add notice.txt
   git commit -m "Clarify item preparation"

   You should see: Main now has the unplugged-item clarification.

   Distinct contributions can be developed without overwriting each other.

5. 5. Merge and inspect

   Merge title-update into main and read the notice.

   git merge --no-edit title-update
   git log --oneline --graph --all

   You should see: Title and Bring changes both appear; Hours stays 10-12.

   Compatible edits combine; inspect the result rather than assuming it is right.