Every val has a main branch, which is the default branch. You can create branches off the main branch for feature development, testing, and sharing.

You need to be the owner of a val to create a branch. If you are not the owner, you can remix the val and send a pull request.

You can branch off main or any other branch from the default val page.

You can create, delete or rename any branch from the val's navigation sidebar.

You can merge changes from a branch back into its parent branch or from the parent into the branch.

A branch can only be merged into its parent if there are no conflicts. All edits are copied to the parent val, including file and folder renames, additions, deletions, and relocations.

You can pull updates from the parent val into your branch.

Merges cannot proceed if there are merge conflicts. Merge conflicts happen when the same line has been edited in both the parent and the branch.

You can resolve conflicts by:

1. Merging from the parent into the branch
2. Finding all merge conflicts in the val and resolving them. They will look like:

<<<<<<< main
This is the main branch
=======
This is the branch
>>>>>>> branch

3. Once all merge conflicts are resolved, you can then merge the branch back into the parent.

• Parent-child relationships are fixed. You can't change the base branch or re-parent a branch. You can only merge a branch into what it was originally forked from.⁠
• There is no support for squashing or rebasing changes.
• You cannot change the name of the main branch.