1.2 Updating the source code


1.2.1 Importance of updating

In a large project like LilyPond, contributors sometimes edit the same file at the same time. As long as everybody updates their version of the file with the most recent changes (pulling), there are generally no problems with this multiple-person editing. However, boring problems can arise if you do not pull before attempting commit, e.g. you may encounter a conflict; in this case, see Resolving conflicts.


1.2.2 Updating command

Whenever you are asked to pull, it means you should update your local copy of the repository with the changes made by others on the remote git.sv.gnu.org repository:

git pull -r

1.2.3 Resolving conflicts

Occasionally an update may result in conflicts – this happens when you and somebody else have modified the same part of the same file and git cannot figure out how to merge the two versions together. When this happens, you must manually merge the two versions.

If you need some documentation to understand and resolve conflicts, see paragraphs How conflicts are presented and How to resolve conflicts in git merge man page.


Contributor’s Guide