CST438 - Week 3

 

CST438: Software Engineering – Week 3

Git is a powerful platform that allows software engineers to manage source code and streamline the development process. By branching copies from the origin master, engineers can track changes and manage activities efficiently. This approach is especially effective for deploying tested code prior to merging it back into the main branch.

Branching strategies are commonly used to release software versions derived from a parent version. Depending on the software, this can result in either an update or an entirely new release. Developers also leverage Git to create isolated development environments in distributed Git for collaboration and version control.

For example, an engineer may pull the code from a remote Git repository to their local machine, make changes, and then push the updated code back to the remote. This workflow runs smoothly as long as no other developer has pushed a newer version in the meantime. If they have, the push will fail due to a mismatch. To avoid this, engineers are encouraged to pull from the remote regularly.

Merge conflicts can still occur, particularly when two or more developers modify the same line of code. Resolving these conflicts requires manual intervention—reviewing and editing the affected lines to determine which changes to keep.

Another key feature Git offers is the pull request. This enables team members to review each other’s code before it is merged into the master branch. Once the review is approved, the pull request is closed and the changes are merged.