Squashing Commits in Sourcetree: A Guide to Cleaner Version Control

Squashing in SourceTree is a feature that allows you to combine multiple related commits into a single, cohesive commit. This is particularly useful in version control and commit management as it helps to keep the commit history clean and readable. By squashing commits, you can eliminate unnecessary commit noise, making it easier for team members to understand the project’s development history and track changes more efficiently.

What is Squashing?

In SourceTree, squash refers to the process of combining multiple commits into a single, more meaningful commit. This is typically done using Git’s interactive rebase feature. When you squash commits, you select a base commit and merge all subsequent commits into it, resulting in a single commit that encapsulates the changes from the combined commits. This helps in cleaning up the commit history and making it more concise and understandable.

Benefits of Squashing

Using ‘squash’ in SourceTree offers several advantages:

1. Cleaner Commit History: Squashing commits results in a more streamlined and linear commit history. This makes it easier to navigate and understand the project’s development over time.

2. Easier Code Review: When commits are squashed, reviewers only need to examine a single, cohesive set of changes. This reduces the cognitive load compared to reviewing multiple smaller commits, which might include intermediate fixes and reversals.

3. Simplified Revert Process: If something goes wrong, reverting a single squashed commit is much simpler than dealing with multiple individual commits.

4. Enhanced Collaboration: Squashed commits foster focused discussions around cohesive units of work, improving team collaboration.

These benefits make squashing a valuable practice for maintaining a clean and manageable codebase.

Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to perform a squash in Sourcetree:

1. Open Sourcetree: Launch the Sourcetree application on your computer.

2. Select the Repository: Choose the repository where you want to squash commits from the list of repositories.

3. Open the Log/History View: Click on the “Log/History” tab to view the commit history of your repository.

4. Select Commits to Squash:

   • Identify the commits you want to squash.
   • Click on the first commit you want to include in the squash.
   • Hold the Shift key and click on the last commit in the range you want to squash. This will select all commits in between.

5. Right-Click on the Selected Commits: With the commits selected, right-click on any of the highlighted commits.

6. Choose ‘Interactive Rebase’: From the context menu, select the option “Rebase children of <commit> interactively…”.

7. Interactive Rebase Window: A new window will open showing the list of commits you selected for the rebase.

8. Mark Commits for Squashing:

   • For each commit you want to squash, change the action from “pick” to “squash” by selecting “squash” from the dropdown menu next to each commit.
   • Ensure that the commit you want to keep as the main commit (the one that will contain the squashed changes) is marked as “pick”.

9. Confirm the Squash: Once you have marked all the commits appropriately, click the “OK” button to start the rebase process.

10. Resolve Conflicts (if any): If there are any conflicts during the rebase, Sourcetree will prompt you to resolve them. Resolve the conflicts and continue the rebase process.

11. Complete the Rebase: After resolving any conflicts, Sourcetree will complete the rebase and squash the selected commits into a single commit.

12. Push Changes: If you have already pushed the commits to a remote repository, you will need to force push the changes. Click on the “Push” button and check the “Force push” option before pushing the changes.

That’s it! You’ve successfully squashed commits in Sourcetree.

Common Use Cases

Here are some common scenarios where ‘squash’ in SourceTree is particularly useful:

1. Feature Development: Combine multiple commits into one before merging a feature branch to keep the main branch history clean.
2. Bug Fixing: Merge several small, incremental bug fix commits into a single commit for clarity.
3. Code Review Preparation: Simplify the commit history to make code reviews easier and more focused.
4. Reverting Changes: Squash commits to create a single revert commit, making it easier to undo changes if needed.
5. Collaborative Projects: Clean up the commit history before sharing with the team or submitting a pull request.

Troubleshooting

Here are solutions to common issues when using ‘squash’ in SourceTree:

1. Conflicts During Squash:

   • Resolve Conflicts Manually: Open the conflicted files, resolve the conflicts, and mark them as resolved in SourceTree.
   • Abort the Squash: If conflicts are too complex, you can abort the squash process and try again after resolving conflicts.

2. Errors During Force Push:

   • Enable Force Push: Ensure that force push is enabled in SourceTree settings.
   • Command Line Push: Use git push --force in the terminal if SourceTree fails.

3. Incorrect Commit Order:

   • Reorder Commits: Drag and drop commits in the correct order in the interactive rebase window before squashing.

4. Missing Commits After Squash:

   • Check Branch History: Ensure all commits are included in the squash by reviewing the branch history.
   • Undo Last Commit: If commits are missing, use git reset --hard HEAD~1 to undo the last commit and try squashing again.

5. Uncommitted Changes:

   • Stash Changes: Stash any uncommitted changes before starting the squash process.
   • Commit Changes: Commit all changes before squashing to avoid losing work.

Squashing Commits in SourceTree: A Valuable Practice for Clean Codebases

Squashing commits in SourceTree is a valuable practice that helps maintain a clean and manageable codebase by combining multiple related commits into a single, cohesive commit. This feature offers several advantages, including a cleaner commit history, easier code review, simplified revert process, and enhanced collaboration.

How to Squash Commits in SourceTree:

1. Open the repository
2. Select the commits to squash
3. Right-click on them and choose interactive rebase
4. Mark commits for squashing
5. Confirm the squash
6. Resolve conflicts (if any)
7. Complete the rebase
8. Push changes

Benefits of Squash in SourceTree:

Squash is particularly useful in feature development, bug fixing, code review preparation, reverting changes, and collaborative projects.

Common Issues to Watch Out For:

• Conflicts
• Errors during force push
• Incorrect commit order
• Missing commits after squash
• Uncommitted changes

By utilizing this feature, developers can improve their commit management skills and maintain a clean and organized codebase.