Creating a New Branch

Branching is a fundamental part of modern version control, enabling isolated development without affecting the main codebase. In Collab, managing branches is streamlined and user-friendly — ideal for teams, solo developers, and large codebases.

🌿 Why Use Branches?

Branches allow you to:

• 🔹Develop new features without disturbing the main branch (main)
• 🔹Test experimental code safely
• 🔹Collaborate with others on specific tasks

🔄 Switching Between Branches

To change your current branch in Collab:

• 🔹Click on the "Git Operations" button in the top bar.
• 🔹 A side panel will open on the right-hand side of the screen.
• 🔹You’ll see a list of existing branches. The highlighted branch is your current active branch (default is usually main).
• 🔹To switch, simply click on the name of another branch.

🆕 Creating a New Branch

To create a new branch:

• 🔹In the same Git panel, locate the input box labeled for branch creation.
• 🔹Type the name of your new branch (e.g., feature/chat-module).
• 🔹Click the "Create Branch" button.
• 🔹Once the branch is created, it will appear in the branch list. Click on its name to switch to it and begin coding.

⚠️ Notes

• 🔹Newly created branches are based on your current branch's latest state.
• 🔹Make sure to commit your changes before switching branches to avoid uncommitted code loss.
• 🔹GitHub’s branch limits and naming conventions still apply — avoid using special characters or reserved words.