Creating a feature branch¶

To create a branch for development work:

1. Open a command prompt window, and then change the directory to the location that contains the clone of your code repository.

2. Switch to the master branch.

   git checkout master
   git pull origin master
   

3. Create the feature branch with a name that describes the work the branch contains, and then switch to the new branch using the following commands, replacing [feature_id] with the name of your feature branch:

   git checkout -b [feature_id]
   git push origin [feature_id]
   

Create and use as many feature branches as needed to keep your development efforts separate from one another.

Committing branch changes¶

Whenever you want to commit your changes back to the code repository for the branch you’re working on, run the following command to commit the change locally:

git commit -a -m "Comment"

After you commit the change, send the change to the code repository (where [feature_id] is the name of your feature branch):

git pull origin [feature_id]
git push origin [feature_id]

When working with your code, if you must run a Drush command that only affects one of your websites, ensure you use the --uri=site.example.com parameter, where site.example.com is your website’s complete website and domain name.

Merging your feature branches¶

To merge your feature branches into a single release branch for testing:

1. Create a release branch from your master branch. You will use the release branch for feature integration and testing. Use the following steps to create the branch:

   1. Switch to the master branch.

      git checkout master
      git pull origin master
      

   2. Create the release branch, and then switch to the new branch, using a command like the following.

      git checkout -b [release-candidate]
      

2. Run the following command to ensure you have the most recent feature branch versions:

   git fetch all
   

3. Merge each of the completed feature branches into your new release branch, using a command like the following:

   git merge [feature_id] --no-ff
   

4. Push your release branch to the remote repository for testing.

   git push origin [release-candidate]
   

Code placement in Drupal¶

As you develop each code branch, place code changes and additions in the folders appropriate for your version of Drupal. Placing your changes in other folders can cause serious problems for your repository, including merge conflicts Acquia cannot help you resolve.