git - branches without branching

Question

I am using git to manage tweaks to a distribution and generate an ISO for each flavor. I currently have 4 branches not including master. What is the best way to manage these branches as they share files and I want to easily move changes back and forth between branches. I am using cherry pick to pull changes to each branch. However, I have to do that for each commit I want and look at the logs for each branch.

What other options to I have, any other ideas as to how to best organize these branches?

Answer 1

Each distribution branch should be originally branched off of the master branch, then add commits directly to the distribution branches to make them unique. To keep them up to date, occasionally merge changes from master into the distribution branches.

For example, if your distribution branches are one and two, then the following commit graph shows that commits are made against the master branch, then the changes are merged into each branch.

# Create distribution branch and make it unique
git checkout -b one master
work... work...
git commit

# Make some changes on master
git checkout master
work... work...
git commit

# Merge the changes into the distribution branch
git checkout one
git merge master

I have used this strategy when a master branch contained generic application settings, but I wanted to keep production environment settings in source as well. Each production environment had the specific settings committed, and when I wanted to update a production environment I would first merge master into the production branch.

Answer 2

The strategy I would use would depend on the difference between the various branches, and the types of changes being made that need to be propagated across all the branches.

If the differences are relatively constant and made in a part of the code base that doesn't change very often (like setting variables to different values in a Makefile, while most development is happening in source code files), I would set up the branches, do the development in master, and then use git rebase master in the branches whenever I needed to update them.

However, if the differences between the branches are themselves fluid, I'd merge and cherry-pick as needed.