How to Merge the Last N Git Commits You Made

How to Merge the Last N Git Commits You Made
How to Merge the Last N Git Commits You Made
Mia Chevalier
Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 6:06:26 PM

Mastering Commit Squashing in Git:

Your commit history may get clogged with several little commits when working on a project. It may be challenging to analyze changes and comprehend the project history due to these little commits.

Git allows you to combine your previous N commits into a single commit, which makes your history more organized and easier to handle. You may accomplish this and improve the effectiveness of your version control by following the methods outlined in this tutorial.

Command Description
git rebase -i HEAD~N Starts a collaborative rebase of the previous N commits.
pick Preserves an interactive rebase commit in its original state.
squash Merges a commit during an interactive rebase with the prior commit.
sed -i '1!s/pick/squash/' .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo Automatically substitutes "squash" for "pick" in all commits other than the first in the rebase to-do list.
git rebase --continue After disputes are resolved, carries out the rebase procedure.
git rebase --abort Returns to the initial state before the rebase procedure was initiated.
HEAD~N Talks about the commit that is N places ahead of the current HEAD.

Understanding Git Commit Squashing

The first script starts an interactive rebase of the last N commits using git rebase -i HEAD~N. For the commits you wish to merge, simply swap out "pick" with "squash" on the interactive interface. Your commit history will become more organized and manageable as a result of this approach, which helps to combine several smaller commits into one. Save your work and exit the editor after editing. In the event that disputes arise, you settle them and carry on with git rebase --continue.

The process of squashing is automated by the second script, a Bash script. First, it determines whether a number of commits (N) is supplied. After that, it executes git rebase -i HEAD~N and uses sed to substitute'squash' for 'pick' in all commits except the first one in the rebase to-do list. This facilitates the process of squashing numerous commits without requiring manual file modification. Lastly, it proceeds with git rebase --continue to complete the rebase, taking care of any required conflict resolutions automatically.

Combine Several Commits into One using Git Rebase

Git Commands

git rebase -i HEAD~N
# Replace N with the number of commits you want to squash
# In the interactive rebase screen that appears, change 'pick' to 'squash' (or 's') for the commits you want to squash
# Save and close the editor
# Edit the commit message if needed, then save and close the editor again
# If there are conflicts, resolve them and then run
git rebase --continue
# Your last N commits are now squashed into one commit

Automating Shell Script Commit Squashing

Bash Script

#!/bin/bash
if [ -z "$1" ]
then
  echo "Usage: ./squash_commits.sh <N>"
  exit 1
fi
git rebase -i HEAD~$1
# Automatically replace 'pick' with 'squash' for all but the first commit
sed -i '1!s/pick/squash/' .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo
git rebase --continue

Advanced Git Squashing Techniques

Managing merge conflicts that may occur during the commit squashing process in Git is another crucial step in the process. Changes from various commits may conflict when numerous commits are combined. Git offers commands like git status to identify which files are at odds and git add to designate them as resolved in order to settle these conflicts. You use git rebase --continue to carry out the rebase after conflicts have been resolved.

Knowing how to stop a rebase in case something goes wrong is also helpful. The rebase procedure is halted and your repository is restored to its initial state prior to the rebase with the command git rebase --abort. This guarantees that any modifications made during the rebase procedure can be safely undone. Gaining an understanding of these commands will greatly enhance your capacity to effectively manage intricate Git histories.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Squashing Git Commits

  1. Squashing commits: What does that mean?
  2. Squashing commitments refers to the process of condensing several commits into one commit in order to streamline the commit history.
  3. I should squash commits, but why?
  4. Squashing commits, particularly when numerous minor commits are used, can help your project history look cleaner and be easier to read.
  5. How do I begin a rebase that is interactive?
  6. To squash the desired amount of commits, replace N with 0 when using the command git rebase -i HEAD~N.
  7. What does interactive rebase mean by "pick" and "squash"?
  8. A commit can be "squashed" or "picked," which combines it with the prior commit.
  9. How can disputes be settled during a rebase?
  10. After identifying conflicts and manually resolving them, use git add and git rebase --continue.
  11. When a rebase goes awry, is it possible to stop it?
  12. Indeed, you can halt the rebase and go back to the initial condition by using git rebase --abort.
  13. What are the advantages of squashing commits with a Bash script?
  14. The procedure is automated by a Bash script, which saves time and lowers the possibility of human error.
  15. Can commits in a rebase be automatically squashed?
  16. Yes, you can automatically switch 'pick' to'squash' by using a script to edit the rebase to-do list with sed.

Concluding the Git Commit Shashing

In Git, squashing commits is an effective way to keep a project history organized and easy to read. You can merge numerous contributions into a single commit by automating with a Bash script or by utilizing interactive rebase, which will simplify log management. Gaining skill with Git by knowing how to settle disagreements and halt a rebase guarantees that you can handle any problems that may come up. Your version control procedures will be much improved if you can use these commands and techniques.