Cherry-Picking Conflicts: 3 Practical Examples

Understanding Cherry-Picking in Version Control

Cherry-picking in version control systems like Git allows developers to select specific commits from one branch and apply them to another. While this feature can be incredibly useful, it often leads to conflicts, especially when the same lines of code have been altered in both branches. Below are three practical examples illustrating cherry-picking with conflicts.

Example 1: Resolving Conflicts from Concurrent Feature Development

Context

Imagine a software development team working on two features concurrently: Feature A and Feature B. Both features involve changes to the same file, app.js, which can lead to conflicts when cherry-picking.

Example

1. Developer A commits changes to app.js for Feature A:

   // Feature A changes
   const featureA = 'Enabled';
   

2. Developer B simultaneously commits changes to the same file for Feature B:

   // Feature B changes
   const featureB = 'Active';
   

3. When Developer A attempts to cherry-pick the commit from Feature B into Feature A’s branch, they encounter a conflict:

   $ git cherry-pick <commit-hash-of-feature-B>
   CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in app.js
   

4. To resolve, Developer A must edit app.js to combine both features:

   // Combined changes
   const featureA = 'Enabled';
   const featureB = 'Active';
   

Notes

• Always review the changed lines carefully to ensure that no functionality is lost when resolving conflicts.
• Use git status to identify which files are in conflict during the cherry-pick process.

Example 2: Cherry-Picking Hotfixes with Conflicting Changes

Context

A project requires urgent hotfixes; however, the same source files have been modified in the main development branch, leading to conflicts.

Example

1. A hotfix is committed to the hotfix branch:

   Fix typo in README.md
   

2. Meanwhile, the develop branch has undergone changes in the same README.md file:

#   # Updated project documentation

3. When cherry-picking the hotfix into the develop branch, a conflict arises:

   $ git cherry-pick <commit-hash-of-hotfix>
   CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in README.md
   

4. To resolve, the developer must edit README.md to retain both the hotfix and the updated documentation:

#   # Updated project documentation
   Fix typo in README.md

Notes

• Regularly synchronize branches to minimize conflicts when cherry-picking hotfixes.
• Consider using git log to understand the commit history and the context of changes.

Example 3: Cherry-Picking Feature Updates with Dependency Conflicts

Context

In a large project, a new feature is developed that relies on changes made to utility functions. If a developer tries to cherry-pick these feature updates without the corresponding utility function changes, conflicts will occur.

Example

1. A developer commits a new feature that modifies a utility function:

   function calculate() {
       // New calculation logic for Feature X
   }
   

2. Another developer has also modified the same utility function for a different feature:

   function calculate() {
       // Old calculation logic with bugs fixed
   }
   

3. When attempting to cherry-pick the new feature into a branch that also has the modified utility function, a conflict surfaces:

   $ git cherry-pick <commit-hash-of-feature-X>
   CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in utils.js
   

4. The developer must carefully merge the changes from both versions of calculate():

   function calculate() {
       // Merged calculation logic
   }
   

Notes

• Always ensure that dependencies are accounted for when cherry-picking feature updates to avoid conflicts.
• Consider using tools like git mergetool to help visualize and resolve conflicts more efficiently.