git merge: apply changes to code that moved to a different file

Question

I am attempting a pretty beefy git merge maneuver right now. One problem that I am coming across is that I made some changes to some code in my branch, but my colleague mov

Answer 1

Here is a merge solution of encountering a merge conflict with rename and edit and resolving it with mergetool recognizing the correct 3 merge source files.

• After a merge fails because of 'deleted file' that you realize was renamed and edited:

  1. You abort the merge.
  2. Commit renamed files on your branch.
  3. And merge again.

Walk-through:

Create a file.txt:

$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in /tmp/git-rename-and-modify-test/.git/

$ echo "A file." > file.txt
$ git add file.txt
$ git commit -am "file.txt added."
[master (root-commit) 401b10d] file.txt added.
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
 create mode 100644 file.txt

Create a branch where you will edit later:

$ git branch branch-with-edits
Branch branch-with-edits set up to track local branch master.

Create the rename and edit on master:

$ git mv file.txt renamed-and-edited.txt
$ echo "edits on master" >> renamed-and-edited.txt 
$ git commit -am "file.txt + edits -> renamed-and-edited.txt."
[master def790f] file.txt + edits -> renamed-and-edited.txt.
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 delete mode 100644 file.txt
 create mode 100644 renamed-and-edited.txt

Swap to branch, and edit there too:

$ git checkout branch-with-edits 
Switched to branch 'branch-with-edits'
Your branch is behind 'master' by 1 commit, and can be fast-forwarded.
  (use "git pull" to update your local branch)
$ 
$ echo "edits on branch" >> file.txt 
$ git commit -am "file.txt edited on branch."
[branch-with-edits 2c4760e] file.txt edited on branch.
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

Attempt to merge master:

$ git merge master
CONFLICT (modify/delete): file.txt deleted in master and modified in HEAD. Version HEAD of file.txt left in tree.
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

Notice the conflict is hard to resolve - and that files were renamed. Abort, mimic the rename:

$ git merge --abort
$ git mv file.txt renamed-and-edited.txt
$ git commit -am "Preparing for merge; Human noticed renames files were edited."
[branch-with-edits ca506da] Preparing for merge; Human noticed renames files were edited.
 1 file changed, 0 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
 rename file.txt => renamed-and-edited.txt (100%)

Try merge again:

$ git merge master
Auto-merging renamed-and-edited.txt
CONFLICT (add/add): Merge conflict in renamed-and-edited.txt
Recorded preimage for 'renamed-and-edited.txt'
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

Great! Merge results in a 'normal' conflict that can be resolved with mergetool:

$ git mergetool
Merging:
renamed-and-edited.txt

Normal merge conflict for 'renamed-and-edited.txt':
  {local}: created file
  {remote}: created file
$ git commit 
Recorded resolution for 'renamed-and-edited.txt'.
[branch-with-edits 2264483] Merge branch 'master' into branch-with-edits