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Git Branches and Merging

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Local Tracking Branches

3:09 with Jay McGavren

To work with the remote `origin/add-letters` branch, we need to set up a local __tracking branch__ for it. A tracking branch is a local branch with a direct relationship to a remote branch.

Now you know how to use a remote branch to update a local branch. But what if you can't find a remote branch on your local repo?

  • If we run git branch, we'll see that only the master branch is listed: git branch
  • We know there's an add-letters branch in the remote repo. Why isn't there one here?
  • There actually is a remote branch, named origin/add-letters. But it's not visible in the default git branch command.
  • You can get a list of remote branches by adding the -a flag to git branch, which causes it to list all branches:
$ git branch -a
* master
  remotes/origin/HEAD -> origin/master
  remotes/origin/add-letters
  remotes/origin/master
  • To work with the remote origin/add-letters branch, we need to set up a local tracking branch for it. A tracking branch is a local branch with a direct relationship to a remote branch.
  • We do this by creating a new branch, and specifying a remote branch it should track.
  • If you run git checkout add-letters, Git will look to see if there's a remote branch named add-letters.
  • If there is, Git will set the new local add-letters branch up to track the remote add-letters branch.
$ git checkout add-letters
Branch 'add-letters' set up to track remote branch 'add-letters' from 'origin'.
Switched to a new branch 'add-letters'
  • When you create a tracking branch, it will automatically be set to the same commit as its remote branch.
  • If new commits are made to the add-letters branch in the remote repo, they won't automatically be brought over.
  • Just like we saw in the previous video, you'll need to use git fetch to update the origin/add-letters remote branch with the new commits, and then use git merge to merge the commits into the local add-letters branch.

There's an easier way to get commits from remote repos, though. We'll look at the git pull command in the next video!

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    Now you know how to use a remote branch to update a local branch. 0:00
    But what if you can't find a remote branch on your local repo? 0:04
    If we run git branch, we'll see that only the master branch is listed. 0:07
    We know there's an add-letter branch in the remote repo. 0:13
    Why isn't there one here? 0:16
    There actually is a remote branch named origin add letters, but 0:18
    it's not visible in the default git branch command. 0:22
    You can get a list of remote branches by adding the dash a flag to the git 0:25
    branch command, which causes it to list all branches. 0:30
    The output shows our one local branch, 0:34
    master, as well as all the remote branches. 0:36
    That includes the origin/master remote branch we were working with before. 0:40
    And we can see an origin add-letters branch here as well. 0:44
    To work with a remote origin/add-letters branch, 0:48
    we need to set up a local tracking branch for it. 0:51
    A tracking branch is a local branch with a direct relationship to a remote branch. 0:54
    Tracking branch is just the official terminology for it, though. 0:59
    Many developers just refer to tracking branches as local branches. 1:03
    When we clone the repository, the local master branch was automatically set 1:08
    up as a tracking branch for the remote origin/master branch. 1:12
    That's why we're informed whether we're up to date with origin/master 1:15
    when we run git status with the master branch checked out. 1:19
    We need to set up a local add letters branch in the same way. 1:22
    We do this by creating a new branch and 1:25
    specifying a remote branch it should track. 1:28
    There's several ways to do this. 1:31
    One is to use git checkout dash b just like creating any other local branch, 1:33
    except you add the remote branch that the local branch should track. 1:38
    So we could run get checkout dash b, 1:42
    have it create a local branch named add-letters, and 1:43
    specify origin/add-letters as the remote branch to track. 1:46
    This commit allows you to specify a tracking branch name that differs from 1:51
    the remote branch name. 1:54
    But 99% of the time, you're going to want them to be the same. 1:56
    So there are a couple of shortcuts. 1:59
    The first is to use the double-dash track option and 2:04
    skip specifying a local branch name. 2:07
    That will create a local branch with the same name as the remote branch. 2:09
    But there's an even shorter shortcut, and this is what developers use most often. 2:13
    If you run git checkout add-letters, 2:18
    git will look to see if there's a remote branch named add-letters. 2:20
    If there is, git will set the new local add-letters branch up to track the remote 2:25
    add-letters branch. 2:29
    You'll see this in the output. 2:30
    Branch add-letters set up to track remote branch add-letters from origin. 2:32
    When you create a tracking branch, 2:37
    it'll automatically be set to the same commit as its remote branch. 2:39
    If new commits are made to the add-letters branch in the remote repo, 2:43
    they won't automatically be brought over. 2:46
    Just like we saw in the previous video, you'll need to use git fetch to update 2:49
    the origin add letters remote branch with the new commits. 2:53
    And then use git merge to merge the commits into the local add-letters branch. 2:56
    We did mention there was an easier way to get commits from remote repos, though. 3:01
    We'll look at the git pull command in the next video. 3:06

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