Using Xcode to merge current branch into Master

Question

Is there a quick way to merge the current working branch into the master branch using Xcode? I'm not clear on what the 'Merge' menu option is doing exactly (it's not exactly labelled clearly), but it seems like it is merging whichever branch you select into your current branch - I guess this is useful when you want to test your changes with the latest codebase from someone else.

When I finish a feature, I would like to merge it in to the master and then continue working on another feature. It seems like I have to switch to the master branch, merge from there, then make another branch from master and work on feature #2 in that one.

Do I have it correct?

Answer 1

Yes, that is correct. The "merge" operation in Git takes another branch and merges it into your current branch.

What you are describing (creating a branch for each feature, and merging them into master as you go) is generally referred to as the "feature branch" workflow, and it is a very common one.

Answer 2

To use Xcode to merge the current branch into another branch (for example, the develop branch into the master branch), go to Source Control > Your project name and branch > Merge into Branch....

Then just select the branch that you want to merge it into.

You can view the changes and then make the merge. This is a local repository change. You can go to Source Control > Push to push the merge to your remote repository.