How to Checkout a Git Pull Request for Code Review

Code reviews are a vital part of software development. They help catch bugs early, ensure code quality, and foster collaboration. A pull request is a way to notify team members that changes are ready for review. It’s a formal request to merge your branch into another, typically the main branch. Pull requests are common in platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. They allow team members to discuss and review code before it becomes part of the main project.

This article will guide you on how to checkout a Git pull request locally for an in-depth review. By the end, you’ll know:

Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Preparing Your Environment

Before you can checkout a pull request, you must set up the repository locally. Clone the repository if you haven’t already:

 # git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-repository.git && cd your-repository

Ensure your local repository is up to date with the remote repository:

 # git fetch origin

Step 2 – Fetching the Pull Request

To fetch a pull request, you need its PR number. The PR number can be found in the URL of the pull request on GitHub, GitLab, or other Git hosting services.

Alternatively, you can use the Github CLI to get the PR number by executing the following command from the repo directory.

 # gh pr list

Output:

PR  | Title                       | State
----|-----------------------------|--------
42  | Add new feature             | open
43  | Fix bug in feature X        | open

Once you have the PR number, use the following command to fetch it:

 # git fetch origin pull/PR-number/head:branch-name

Replace PR-number with the actual number of the pull request and branch-name with the name you want to give to the branch locally.

Example:

If you want to fetch PR #42 and name the branch feature-42, you would run:

 # git fetch origin pull/42/head:feature-42

Output:

From https://github.com/your-username/your-repository
 * branch            refs/pull/42/head -> FETCH_HEAD

Step 3 – Checking Out the Pull Request

After fetching the pull request, you need to check it out to start working with it:

 # git checkout feature-42

To ensure you’re on the correct branch and the changes are present, you can use:

 # git status

Output:

On branch feature-42
nothing to commit, working tree clean

This command shows the current branch and any changes made.

Additionally, you can use the git log to review the commit history and confirm the changes associated with the pull request:

 # git log --oneline

Output:

abcd123 (HEAD -> feature-42) Add new feature
efgh456 (origin/main, origin/HEAD) Initial commit

Once the pull request has been reviewed and tested, and you’re satisfied with the changes, you can merge it. It’s best to merge pull requests through the hosting service’s web interface. This will ensure all merge checks and workflows are executed.

Step 4 – Deleting the Local Branch

After merging the pull request, you can delete the local branch used for the PR to keep your workspace clean:

 # git branch -d feature-42

Always keep your local repository updated to avoid conflicts and ensure smooth collaboration:

 # git fetch origin && git pull

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve covered the process of checking out a Git pull request. Understanding how to handle pull requests efficiently is vital for maintaining a smooth workflow and ensuring high code quality in collaborative projects. Following these steps will enable you to manage and review contributions effectively.

FAQs

1. How do I find the pull request number?

You can find the PR number in the URL of the pull request or use the GitHub CLI command gh pr list.

2. Do I need to create a new branch every time I checkout a pull request?

Yes, fetching the PR creates a new branch locally to review the changes.

3. What happens if I delete the local branch?

Deleting the local branch only removes it from your machine. It won’t affect the remote branch or the pull request.

4. Can I merge the pull request locally?

You can, but it’s generally best to merge via the hosting service (GitHub, GitLab) to ensure all checks pass.

5. What if there are conflicts during the pull request checkout?

Git will alert you about conflicts, and you will need to resolve them manually before continuing.