#IMPORTANT: How to Handle Merge Conflicts in the Testing Lab

Hey everyone! Since multiple students are modifying counter.py in the Testing Lab, merge conflicts will likely occur when merging Pull Requests (PRs). This is a normal part of software development, and resolving conflicts is a valuable skill.

Follow these steps to avoid and resolve merge conflicts smoothly:

✅ Best Practices to Avoid Conflicts

1 Before working on your branch, always pull the latest changes

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b add-method-<your-method>

Commit and push frequently to reduce the chances of conflicts.

Before submitting your PR, always pull the latest changes from main and merge them into your branch:

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout add-method-<your-method>
git merge main  # Merges the latest changes from main

• If there are conflicts, Git will notify you.

Resolving Merge Conflicts in counter.py

If a conflict occurs, Git will mark the conflicting lines in counter.py like this:

def create_counter(name):
<<<<<<< HEAD
    """Create a counter (Student A's version)"""
    if name in COUNTERS:
        return jsonify({"error": "Counter already exists"}), 409
    COUNTERS[name] = 0
    return jsonify({name: COUNTERS[name]}), 201
=======
    """Creates a counter if not exists (Student B's version)"""
    if name not in COUNTERS:
        COUNTERS[name] = 0
        return jsonify({name: COUNTERS[name]}), 201
    return jsonify({"error": "Counter already exists"}), 409
>>>>>>> add-method-create-counter

🛠️ How to fix it manually:

• Decide which version to keep (or merge both logically).
• Remove Git conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>).
• Ensure the final function is correct and consistent.

Example fixed version:

def create_counter(name):
    """Create a counter if it does not exist"""
    if name not in COUNTERS:
        COUNTERS[name] = 0
        return jsonify({name: COUNTERS[name]}), 201
    return jsonify({"error": "Counter already exists"}), 409

Finalizing the Merge

git add counter.py  # Stage the fixed file
git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict in counter.py"
git push origin add-method-<your-method>

🛠️ Too Long; Didn’t Read

✅ Before you start → git pull origin main
✅ Before pushing your PR → git pull origin main && git merge main
✅ If you see a conflict → Edit the file, remove conflict markers, commit the fix
✅ Push the resolved changes → git push origin <your-branch>