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Pull Requests (PR) are an integral component to the branching, code review, and merging processes. A PR is typically opened when a contributor to a repository is requesting a reviewer to "pull" their code changes into their repository. Put simply, a pull request can be described as a "merge request" since you are asking for permission to merge your branch into another after a review process.
Pull Requests can only be created and managed from the Copia web application in your browser. When you start a PR, you must specify the branch that you want to merge into another. This then shows the differences between the two branches, allows for commenting, and then if approved, allows you to merge the two branches. Typically, the code review process involves Contributors and Reviewers. "Contributors" refer to developers who have made changes and are requesting a review, while "Reviewers" are the individuals or teams who perform a review and approve changes.
Copia recommends that you use Pull Requests instead of the desktop app to perform branch merges as it allows for code review, discussion, and the possibility of the Advanced Merge Tool for supported file types
An example of this process could be that you have developed a new feature on your branch and want to incorporate this feature on the main branch. First, you want someone to verify that your changes are correct. You would open a pull request to merge your feature branch into the main branch and assign a coworker to be the reviewer. The coworker would look through the changes on the Files for Review tab, make any necessary comments, and eventually approve your pull request. Then, you would be able to merge your pull request into the main branch.
You can find more information on how to create a Pull Request in our Documentation.
Elements of the UI may have changed since the time of posting. For the most up-to-date information, refer to our Documentation.