git-fmt-merge-msg - Linux

Overview

git-fmt-merge-msg generates a human-readable merge message from the merge commits in a repository. It’s particularly useful for generating a summary of changes included in a merge commit and ensuring a clear and consistent message format.

Syntax

git fmt-merge-msg [options] [<commit>]

Options/Flags

• -m <message>: Use the specified message as the merge commit’s message.
• -C <commit>: Use the commit message from the specified commit as the merge commit’s message.
• -s: Use the subject line of the merge commit’s message.
• -b: Use the body of the merge commit’s message.

Examples

Generate a merge message from the latest merge commit:

git fmt-merge-msg

Generate a merge message using a specific merge commit:

git fmt-merge-msg <commit>

Generate a merge message from the subject line of the latest merge commit:

git fmt-merge-msg -s

Common Issues

• Empty merge message: This can occur if the merge commits don’t have a message. Use the -m option to specify a custom message.
• Unformatted merge message: The merge message might not follow the desired format. Use the -C option to use a specific commit’s message as a template.

Integration

git-fmt-merge-msg can be combined with other Git commands to automate merge message generation. For example, the following script generates a merge message and commits it automatically:

#!/bin/sh
git fmt-merge-msg -s | git commit -F-

Related Commands

• git merge
• git commit
• git show