In Git go back one commit temporarily to create a branch and then reapply the commit to master branch

Question

I have always worked with git and opensrc in a very simple limited way

I fork the project in github
I git clone my fork to my computer
I make some changes on my computer
I commit the changes
I push to my github fork
I created pull request from my github fork to the original project, this works for a single change

But if I make more changes on my computer and commit them and push before the pull request is accepted then they get added to the same pull request. I know this is not ideal so I try and wait for first pull request to be accepted before making further changes but this is not always possible.

So instead I experimented with creating a new branch just to fix one bug. But because this branch was created after I had already made a commit on the master branch any pull requests on this new branch include my master commit as well.

So want I think what I want to do is temporarily go back one commit on master branch, then create new branch, then go forward to that commit on master branch, how do I do that ?

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 09 '20 at 17:52

2

By default, git branch new_branch creates a new branch using the current HEAD. To choose a different starting point, simply provide it explicitly.

git branch new_branch HEAD^

answered Mar 09 '20 at 17:52

chepner

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where HEAD^ is a commit id ? – Paul Taylor Mar 09 '20 at 18:59
`HEAD^` is the parent of the currently checked-out branch head. It's not just a placeholder; it's a valid reference to a specific commit. – chepner Mar 09 '20 at 19:00
I dont understand, – Paul Taylor Mar 09 '20 at 19:02
Assuming you have added exactly one commit to your `master` branch, the command shown in this answer, typed exactly as is, will create a new branch based on `master` as it was before your commit. – chepner Mar 09 '20 at 19:04
OK, thanks, for completeness can I also specify a commitid instead ? – Paul Taylor Mar 09 '20 at 19:09
Yes, you can specify any commit id you like. `HEAD^` just happens to be one way to specify the commit id you were asking about. – chepner Mar 09 '20 at 19:11
HEAD~ vs HEAD^... https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2221658/whats-the-difference-between-head-and-head-in-git – EncryptedWatermelon Mar 09 '20 at 20:20

In Git go back one commit temporarily to create a branch and then reapply the commit to master branch

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