Resolving merge conflicts in Git - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Resolving merge conflicts

Start merge

↓

Git detects conflict?

No→Merge completes

Yes↓

Show conflict markers in files

↓

User edits files to resolve conflicts

↓

User marks conflicts resolved (git add)

↓

User completes merge (git commit)

↓

Merge finished successfully

This flow shows how Git detects conflicts during a merge, how the user resolves them by editing files, and then completes the merge.

Execution Sample

Git

git merge feature-branch
# Conflict detected in file.txt
# Edit file.txt to fix conflicts
git add file.txt
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict"

This sequence merges a branch, resolves conflicts in a file, stages the fix, and commits the merge.

Process Table

Step	Action	Git State	User Action	Result
1	Run 'git merge feature-branch'	Merge started, conflict detected in file.txt	None	Merge paused, conflict markers added in file.txt
2	Open file.txt	Conflict markers visible	Edit file.txt to choose correct code	Conflicts resolved in file.txt content
3	Run 'git add file.txt'	Conflict marked as resolved	Stage resolved file	file.txt ready for commit
4	Run 'git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict"'	Merge commit created	Complete merge with commit	Merge finished successfully

💡 Merge completes after user resolves conflicts and commits

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
file.txt	Clean version	Contains conflict markers <<<<<<< >>>>>>>	Edited to resolved content	Staged resolved content	Committed resolved content

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does Git add conflict markers in the file?

Git inserts conflict markers to show the conflicting parts from each branch, as seen in Step 1 and Step 2 of the execution_table.

What does 'git add' do after resolving conflicts?

'git add' tells Git the conflicts in the file are resolved and stages the file for commit, shown in Step 3.

Why must you commit after resolving conflicts?

Committing finalizes the merge and records the resolution, as shown in Step 4 where the merge finishes.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the Git state immediately after running 'git merge feature-branch'?

A No conflicts detected

B Merge completed successfully

C Merge started, conflict detected in file.txt

D file.txt staged for commit

💡 Hint

Check Step 1 in the execution_table under 'Git State'

At which step does the user mark the conflict as resolved by staging the file?

A Step 2

B Step 3

C Step 1

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look for 'git add file.txt' in the execution_table

If the user forgets to run 'git add' after editing the file, what will happen?

A Git will keep the merge paused, waiting for conflict resolution

B Merge will complete automatically

C Git will still commit the merge

D Git will delete the conflicting file

💡 Hint

Refer to the role of 'git add' in Step 3 of the execution_table

Concept Snapshot

git merge may detect conflicts if changes overlap
Git adds conflict markers in files to show conflicts
User edits files to resolve conflicts manually
Run 'git add <file>' to mark conflicts resolved
Run 'git commit' to complete the merge

Full Transcript

When you run 'git merge' and Git finds conflicting changes, it pauses the merge and adds conflict markers in the affected files. You open those files and edit them to fix the conflicts by choosing or combining changes. After editing, you run 'git add' on the files to tell Git the conflicts are resolved. Finally, you run 'git commit' to finish the merge and save the resolution. This process ensures you control how conflicting changes are combined.