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git-mergetool:tldr:02448
The "git mergetool" command is used in Git to open a merge tool to handle conflicts that occur during the merge process.
When you are merging two branches in Git and there are conflicts between the changes made on each branch, Git tries to automatically merge the changes. However, if it is unable to resolve the conflicts automatically, it marks those conflicts in the files and stops the merge process.
This is where the "git mergetool" command comes in. It allows you to open a specified merge tool to manually resolve the conflicts. Git provides a default merge tool, but you can also configure Git to use a different merge tool of your choice.
When you run "git mergetool", Git looks at the merge tool configuration and opens the specified tool. The tool provides a graphical interface where you can compare the conflicting changes and choose how to resolve them. Once you have resolved all the conflicts, you save the changes in the merge tool, and Git proceeds with the merge, taking into account your resolved conflicts.
Using "git mergetool" is helpful when dealing with more complex conflicts that cannot be easily resolved through manual editing of the conflicting files. It provides a more visual and user-friendly approach to resolving conflicts with the help of a dedicated merge tool.