The “dolt merge” command is a feature provided by Dolt, a version-controlled database system inspired by Git. The “dolt merge” command allows you to combine or join two or more development histories together, specifically the changes made in different branches, into a single branch.
Here are some key aspects of the “dolt merge” command:
- Combining branches: When you execute the “dolt merge” command, you specify the branch or branches that you want to merge into your current branch. Dolt analyzes the changes made in those branches and attempts to combine them with your current branch.
- Resolving conflicts: In case there are conflicting changes between the branches being merged, Dolt identifies these conflicts and alerts you. Conflicts occur when the same data or schema objects have been modified differently in the branches being merged. You will need to manually resolve these conflicts by deciding which changes to keep and how to integrate them.
- Committing the merge: After resolving any conflicts, you can commit the merge using the “dolt commit” command. This creates a new commit in your branch that incorporates the changes from the merged branch(es). The commit represents the state of the database with the combined changes from the merged branches.
- Merging strategies: Dolt provides different merging strategies to handle conflicts and combine changes from different branches. These strategies include “ours” (keep the changes from the current branch), “theirs” (keep the changes from the merged branch), and “manual” (resolve conflicts manually).
- History integration: The merge operation integrates the commit history from the merged branch(es) into your current branch. This allows you to track the evolution of the database across different branches and provides a comprehensive history of changes made to the database.
The “dolt merge” command is a fundamental operation in Dolt that enables you to combine development histories and incorporate changes from multiple branches into a single branch. It plays a crucial role in managing parallel development, collaborating with others, and consolidating changes in a version-controlled database environment.
Please note that the specifics of the “dolt merge” command, such as available options or additional functionality, may vary depending on the version of Dolt you are using. For detailed and up-to-date information, it is recommended to refer to the official Dolt documentation or use the “–help” flag alongside the command to access the command-specific help information.
dolt merge Command Examples
1. Incorporate changes from the named commits into the current branch:
# dolt merge branch_name
2. Incorporate changes from the named commits into the current branch without updating the commit history:
# dolt merge --squash branch_name
3. Merge a branch and create a merge commit even when the merge resolves as a fast-forward:
# dolt merge --no-ff branch_name
4. Merge a branch and create a merge commit with a specific commit message:
# dolt merge --no-ff -m "message" branch_name
5. Abort the current conflict resolution process:
# dolt merge --abort