Switching Branches Using Git Switch
In this post, we will walk through everything you need to know about one of the sub-commands that are part of git, the git switch command.
In this post, we will look at one of the sub-commands that are part of git, the git switch command. Before we get into things, though, let me clarify a few things. Git is a distributed version control system primarily used for tracking changes in source code during software development. A branch is a separate line of development within a repository. The switch sub-command which is what we’re looking at today is used to switch to a specified branch of development.
#Basic Usage
Basic usage of the git switch command is as follows:
git switch [<options>] [<branch>]
We start with git switch, followed by any options, and then the branch name.
#Flags
Below are my picks from the commands help text, for an exhaustive list please refer to the man page or git’s website.
#Examples
Below are some examples I feel are the most useful.
Switching To An Existing Branch
To switch to an existing branch, use the following command:
git switch <branch-name>
This command changes the context of your work to the specified branch, allowing you to work with the files and commit history of that branch.
Create A New Branch From A Different Branch
You can create a new branch based on a different branch as follows:
git switch remotes/origin/example -c hello-world
This command switches to the remote branch name example from the remote origin and creates a new branch from that branch.
Switch To The Previous Branch
To switch to the previous branch, use the following command:
git switch -
This command is a short way to switch back to the branch you were working on before the current one.
Switch To A Branch And Automatically Merge The Current Branch (Including Uncommitted Changes)
To merge while you switch branches, try this command:
git switch --merge branch-name
This command switches to a specified branch while merging any changes from your current branch.
#Conclusion
In this post, we looked at one of the many sub-commands which are part of git, the git switch command. We covered basic usage, flags of the command, and examples. Proving that the switch sub-command can be used for more than just switching to a different local branch, such as to checkout remote branches, and to create a new branch.
#Looking For More
Are you looking for more and a place to start? If so, why not check out our other gits posts?
