Classification - ISMS: Offen | VS: OFFEN > -----Original Message----- > From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@xxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2024 6:51 PM > To: Richard Kerry <richard.kerry@xxxxxxxxxx> > Cc: git@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Re: Merge selected files or folders > > Richard Kerry <richard.kerry@xxxxxxxxxx> writes: > > > I'd like to merge only certain files, or folders, from another branch. > > What command or options should I be looking at to get this done? > > If you are using the verb "merge" in the way Git uses, then there is > *no* option to do so and that is very much deliberate, as allowing such a operation > will break your history. > > A "merge" commit in Git records the fact that *all* changes that were done in each > parent since the merged branches diverged have been considered and the tree > recorded by the merge commit is the result. Hence, if you later change your mind > and "merge" other changes from the same branch, it will result in no change at all, > by definition. > > But if you are porting some changes made on another branch to the current > branch, and then planning to record the result as a regular single parent commit, > then there is no fundamental reason to forbid such an operation. It is what cherry- > pick ought to be able to do, even though I do not think it accepts a pathspec to limit > currently. > > Assuming a history of this shape: > > x---x---X (that other branch) > / > O---o---o---o---H (current branch) > > such a "cherry-pick" would essentially be applying all the changes lead to X since > the histories forked at O on top of H: > > $ git checkout H > $ O=$(git merge-base X H) > $ git diff $O X | git apply > $ git commit -m "picked changes from branch X" > > And if you want to limit the paths involved in the operation, the "git diff" step can be > given a <pathspec> to limit the changes that are ported. > > $ git checkout H > $ O=$(git merge-base X H) > $ git diff $O X -- thisdir/ that/file | git apply > $ git commit -m "picked changes from branch X" Isn't that the same as simply checking out the files/folders of "that other branch" and commiting the result ? $ git checkout X -- this/dir that/file $ git commit -m "picked changes from branch X" Or am I missing something ? > Teaching "git cherry-pick" to accept a pathspec and natively perform something like > the above is left as an exercise. Thanks, Stefan
