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Review The Pull Request Impact to Your Local Git Repository

The GitHub repository has a new version of the main branch but the main branch in our local repository isn't aware of the changes yet (only our local branch3 branch is aware of the changes). Before we make new changes to our local GIt repository, let's get it in sync with GitHub and clean up the branch (branch3) which is no longer in GitHub.

Pull Changes from GitHub

  1. From the Docker Container terminal, attempt to pull (download/fetch and merge) the latest changes from GitHub to your local repository with the following command:

    # Download and merge changes from the remote repository to the local repository
git pull

    git-pull-branch3

  2. Notice the last two lines of the output which indicate Git attempted to pull changes from GitHub and merge those changes with branch3 in the local Git repository.

    • However, the local Git repository was unable to locate branch3 in GitHub because, of course, we deleted branch3 in GitHub after merging our pull request.

  3. List your local branches with the following command:

    # Display all local git branches
git branch

    git-branch-6

  4. Notice branch3 remains in your local repository and is the current, working branch.

  5. Change your working branch to main with the following command:

    # Switch the working branch from 'branch3' to 'main'
git checkout main

    git-checkout-main

  6. Notice the message which indicates the local Git repository branch main is behind the GitHub main branch (origin/main) by three commits and can be fast-forwarded (synchronized with the latest changes).

  7. Download and merge the GitHub main branch with your local Git repository main branch using the following command:

    # Download and merge changes from the remote repository to the local repository
git pull

    git-pull-main

  8. Notice the output which indicates the file changes and insertions.

  9. Since our local Git repository main branch now in sync with the latest copy of the GitHub repository main branch, we no longer need our local copy of branch3. Remove branch3 from the local repository with the following command:

    # Delete the local branch named 'branch3'
git branch -d branch3

    git-branch-d-branch3

  10. Confirm branch3 no longer exists in the local Git repository with the following command:

    # Display all local git branches
git branch

    git-branch-7

  11. Notice that main is now the only branch in your local Git repository.

⭐ You did it! You:

  • Set up a new GitHub repository.

  • Set up a local Git environment in a Docker Container.

  • Managed local Git repository branches.

  • Staged and committed local Git repository changes.

  • Pushed branches and changes from your local Git environment to GitHub.

  • Merged changes in GitHub with a pull request.

  • Synchronized merged GitHub changes to your local Git environment.

Click the link below to go to the last section and finish things up:

Next Section > Clone Another Repository, Make Changes, and Create a New Pull Request