Michael Dressel <MichaelTiloDressel@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes: > On Fri, 14 Dec 2007, Alex Riesen wrote: > >> Michael Dressel, Thu, Dec 13, 2007 22:28:30 +0100: >>> On Thu, 13 Dec 2007, Alex Riesen wrote: >>>> On 13/12/2007, Michael Dressel wrote: >>>>> git merge --no-commit <branch> does "create" a commit. At lesat the >>>>> head and index are moved to the new commit fetched from <branch>. Maybe >>>>> that is because git was able to do a fast forward? >>>> >>>> Yes. Because fast-forward is what it called: fast-forward. >>>> It does not do any commits at all. >>>> >>> >>> It looks like I misunderstood the meaning of --no-commit. I have to use >>> --squash in this case. >>> >> >> Maybe. Or maybe you misunderstood the meaning of --squash, which also >> is not a merge. > > Since "git merge --squash <branch>" does a merge of <branch> into the > working tree why would you not call it a merge? A few illustrations. Commits A, B, C were made on 'trunk', commits a, b, c were made on 'branch'. You are on 'trunk', running "git merge <options> branch". We assume that there are no conflicts. 1. A non fast-forward case 1---2---3---A---B---C <-- trunk <-- HEAD \ \-a---b---c <-- branch 1.1. "git merge branch" 1---2---3---A---B---C--M <-- trunk <-- HEAD \ / \-a---b---c/ <-- branch M is _merge_ commits, with two parents: C and c. It was created by "git merge branch". 1.2. "git merge --no-commit branch" /-------- trunk <-- HEAD v 1---2---3---A---B---C--* \ / \-a---b---c/ <-- branch ^ \-------- MERGE_HEAD The merge commit '*' is prepared, but not yet committed, just as if there were merge conflict during merge. "git commit" would commit a merge (and would tell you that it does a merge commit). 1.3. "git merge --no-commit --no-ff branch" Like in 1.2, because it is non fast-forward case. 1.4. "git merge --squash branch" 1---2---3---A---B---C--[abc]' <-- trunk <-- HEAD \ \-a---b---c <-- branch "[abc]'" is a _single parent_ commit (it is not a merge commit!) which incorporates changes made on branch as if it were made in a single, large (!) commit. 1.5. "git rebase trunk branch" (or "git pull --rebase branch") 1---2---3---A---B---C <-- trunk \ \-a'--b'--c' <-- branch <-- HEAD Rebase is step-by-step process, replying commits a, b, c on top of trunk, trying for the same _changes_. a', b', c' are newly created commits, introducing the same changes as a, b, c if there were no rebase conflicts. I think that "git pull --rebase branch" goes a step further and actually does after-rebase fast-forward merge, and does not change branch, but I might be mistaken. 1---2---3---A---B---C---a'--b'--c' <-- trunk <-- HEAD \ \-a---b---c <-- branch 2. Fast forward case; there are no commits A, B, C, and we start from the following situation: 1---2---3 <-- trunk <-- HEAD \ \-a---b---c <-- branch 2.1. "git merge branch" 1---2---3 /----- trunk <-- HEAD \ v \-a---b---c <-- branch Fast forward results in simply moving the head of trunk. It does not create a commit, hence: 2.2. "git merge --no-commit branch" Like in 2.1, because fast-forwarding does not create a commit. 2.3. "git merge --no-commit --no-ff branch" 1---2---3 <-- trunk <-- HEAD \ \-a---b---c <-- branch (probably with some error message). Test of understanding the concepts: what does "git merge --squash --no-commit" does? -- Jakub Narebski Poland ShadeHawk on #git - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html