How can I troubleshoot the error “please commit your changes or stash them before you switch branches”?
I am currently working on a software development project by using the git repository. What is the significance of the message “please commit your changes or stash them before you switch branches” while navigating between branches within the git? How can I troubleshoot this particular error?
In the context of DevOps, if you get the error of “Please commit your changes or stash them before you switch branches” then the significance of this message is that there are some uncommitted modifications in the current directory in which you are working. These uncommitted modifications create a conflict with the branch switch that you are attempting. Here are the best methods provided to troubleshoot this particular issue:
Commit changes by using the following command
“git add” and “git commit”
You can use these commands before switching between branches.
Stash changes
If your changes are in the middle of the process but not ready to be committed then try to stash them by using the following command
“git stash”
This command would revert the working directory.
Review changes
Ultimately, review the changes with the intended branches to avoid the possible conflicts that can be raised later.
Here is the example given in the form of a coding analogy:-
# Check status of uncommitted changes
Git status
# Stage and commit changes
Git add .
Git commit -m “Commit message”
# Stash changes
Git stash
# Switch branches
Git checkout