What is mercurial branching and how does it work?

What is mercurial branching and how does it work?

Mercurial branching allows you to create separate lines of development in your project. It helps manage features, fixes, and experiments without affecting the main codebase.

Can you explain the difference between named branches and bookmarks?

Named branches are permanent and represent a line of development, while bookmarks are lightweight and can be moved around, making them more flexible for temporary work.

How do I create a new branch in Mercurial?

You can create a new branch by using the command hg branch <branch-name>, followed by hg commit to save your changes.

What happens if I want to merge branches?

To merge branches, you can use the command hg merge <branch-name>, which combines the changes from the specified branch into your current branch.

Are there any best practices for using branches in Mercurial?

Yes, it's best to keep branches focused on specific features or fixes, regularly merge changes, and delete branches that are no longer needed to keep your repository clean.