In this blog post, we’ll explore the process of sharing a Git stash with another person. Git stash is a powerful feature that allows you to temporarily save changes that you have made to your working directory but do not want to commit yet. This is particularly useful when you are in the middle of working on a feature or bugfix and need to switch to a different branch.
However, there might be situations where you want to share your stashed changes with a teammate, for instance, when you need their help to complete the task or when you want to hand over the work to them. By default, Git does not provide a direct way to share stashes between repositories or users. But don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to share your Git stash with another person.
Step 1: Create a Git Stash
Before sharing your stash, you need to create one. To do this, navigate to your project’s root directory in the terminal and run the following command:
git stash save "A descriptive message for your stash"
This command will temporarily save your changes and revert your working directory to the last commit. Make sure to provide a descriptive message for your stash, as this will help you and your teammate identify it later.
Step 2: Create a Patch File from the Stash
Now that you have created a stash, you need to convert it into a patch file that can be shared with your teammate. To do this, run the following command:
git stash show -p stash@{0} > stash.patchReplace stash@{0} with the identifier of the stash you want to share. This command will create a file called stash.patch in your project’s root directory, containing the changes you stashed.
Step 3: Share the Patch File
Next, share the stash.patch file with your teammate. You can do this using any file-sharing method, such as email, file-sharing services like Dropbox or Google Drive, or even by uploading it to a shared repository.
Step 4: Apply the Patch File to Your Teammate’s Repository
Once your teammate has received the stash.patch file, they need to apply it to their repository. To do this, they should navigate to their project’s root directory in the terminal and run the following command:
git apply /path/to/stash.patch
Replace /path/to/stash.patch with the actual path to the patch file. This command will apply the changes from the patch file to their working directory.
Step 5: Create a Stash from the Patch (Optional)
If your teammate wants to create a stash from the patch instead of applying the changes directly to their working directory, they can run the following commands:
git apply /path/to/stash.patchgit stash save "A descriptive message for the shared stash"
This will apply the changes from the patch file and then create a new stash with a descriptive message.
Conclusion
Sharing a Git stash with another person can be a bit tricky since Git does not provide a built-in way to do so. However, by following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully share your stashed changes with your teammates. Just remember to communicate clearly with your team members about the stashes you share, as this will help avoid confusion and ensure a smooth collaboration process.
