Pull Requests

A Pull Request (PR) is a proposal to merge your branch into another. It opens a structured conversation — teammates can review code line by line, leave comments, request changes, and approve. PRs are the quality gate for all team development.

01.The Pull Request Lifecycle

Create a descriptive branch from main → make focused commits → push branch → open PR on GitHub (describe what and why) → reviewers are notified → discussion and line-by-line code review → author addresses feedback → reviewer approves → PR is merged → branch is deleted. This structured process prevents bugs from reaching production.

Branch Visualization

main

feature

HEAD

02.Writing a Pull Request That Gets Reviewed Fast

Include: A clear title summarizing the change. A description explaining WHY (not what — git log shows that). Screenshots or recordings for any UI changes. Step-by-step testing instructions. Issue references: "Closes #42" auto-closes the linked issue when merged. What trade-offs or alternatives were considered. Keep PRs small — under 400 lines is ideal.

Commit Timeline

a1b2c3d

init

b2c3d4e

feat

c3d4e5f

fix

d4e5f6a

HEAD

Commands

commands — click to reveal output

git checkout -b feature/dark-mode

Create a focused feature branch

git add . && git commit -m "Add dark mode toggle to settings"

Commit your changes

git push -u origin feature/dark-mode

Push branch to GitHub

▼ show output

# GitHub: "Compare & pull request" button appears

Click to open the PR form

gh pr create --title "Add dark mode" --body "Closes #15

Adds a toggle in Settings > Appearance."

Create PR via the GitHub CLI

gh pr status

Check your open PR status

▼ show output

gh pr merge 23 --squash

Merge a PR via CLI (squash strategy)

KNOWLEDGE CHECK

What is the main purpose of a Pull Request?

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