Re-checking Merge Conflicts in Azure DevOps: A Closer Look
Azure DevOps provides robust features for managing pull requests (PRs), including automatic policy checks and conflict resolution. However, re-checking merge conflicts after resolving them requires manual intervention. This article delves into the implications of re-checking and the impact on approved votes.
Understanding Merge Conflict Re-checking
When merging branches in Azure DevOps, conflicts can arise due to concurrent changes made on both branches. Azure DevOps provides tools to identify and resolve these conflicts. Once resolved, the system typically performs automatic policy checks to ensure quality and compliance. However, re-checking for conflicts after initial resolution requires a manual action: Restarting the Merge.
The Impact on Approved Votes
A critical consideration when re-checking merge conflicts is the impact on previously approved votes. Approved votes signify that reviewers have assessed the code changes based on a specific version of the code. If changes are made to the source branch (e.g., the development branch) after the initial review and conflict resolution, the changes to be merged into the target branch (e.g., the main branch) have fundamentally altered.
In such scenarios, it is crucial to re-evaluate the approved votes. The original approvals were based on a different set of changes, and they may no longer accurately reflect the current state of the code.
Why Re-evaluation is Necessary
Re-evaluating approved votes after changes to the source branch ensures the following:
- Maintain Code Quality: Re-evaluation allows reviewers to assess the impact of new changes on the overall code quality and ensure that the merged code adheres to established standards.
- Address Potential Issues: Changes made to the source branch might introduce new bugs, regressions, or security vulnerabilities. Re-evaluation provides an opportunity to identify and address these potential issues before merging the code.
- Maintain Alignment with Project Goals: Re-evaluation ensures that the merged code aligns with the project's goals and objectives. New changes might inadvertently deviate from the original intent of the PR.
- Maintain Trust and Transparency: Re-evaluating votes fosters trust and transparency within the development team by ensuring that all team members are aware of and have approved the latest version of the code.
Best Practices for Handling Re-checks
To effectively handle re-checks and maintain a robust review process:
- Clearly Communicate Changes: If changes are made to the source branch after initial review and conflict resolution, clearly communicate these changes to the reviewers.
- Provide Clear Instructions: Provide clear instructions to reviewers on how to re-evaluate the code and update their votes.
- Consider a New PR: In some cases, creating a new PR for the subsequent changes might be more appropriate than re-checking the original PR. This can provide a cleaner separation of changes and simplify the review process.
- Automate Where Possible: Utilize Azure DevOps features like work item linking to automatically update related work items when changes are made to the source branch.
- Regularly Review and Update Branch Policies: Regularly review and update branch policies to ensure they align with the team's evolving needs and best practices.