Since launching GitHub Desktop, the platform popular among developers has been focusing on collaboration in the app.
For example, earlier in 2018, GitHub has launched Desktop 1.2 and 1.3, which provide developers with the ability to compare branches and get notified when the default branch has updates to pull into their branch.
Then in October, it released version 1.4 where the app can give information about whether or not developers will encounter conflicts before merging.
This time, GitHub Desktop 1.5 is representing the peak of all the forementioned previous versions.
"This release completes the merge collaboration cycle by providing a way to initiate a merge in the branch dropdown, guiding you through resolving merge conflicts, and informing you when a merge is complete," said GitHub announcing GitHub Desktop 1.5.
With GitHub Desktop 1.5, developers can merge conflicts. This can be particularly useful for those developers working in teams.
GitHub said that it its previous release, it has started informing developers whether or not they would encounter merge conflicts before merging. However, developers were still required to resolve the conflicts on their own.
With version 1.5, this is no longer the issue. The app can even show developers when everything is resolved and ready to merge.
Other updates that are also in GitHub Desktop 1.5, include allowing developers to initiate a merge from the branch dropdown.
"We’ve also seen that the core function of adding a repository to Desktop has been difficult to find and use. We solved this by adding a simple way to create, add, or clone a repository right from the repository dropdown," continued GitHub.
While the changes are subtle, but together, they are all based on GitHub users' feedback.
GitHub launched GitHub Desktop in 2017, which quickly gained traction with users. According to the company, around 10 percent of all merges submitted through the app result in a conflict, and this is where GitHub Desktop 1.5 main focus in on.
With GitHub Desktop 1.5, "you’re no longer on your own," as the app can inform developers on which files have conflicts, route them to their preferred editor to resolve the problem.
GitHub Desktop 1.5 also introduces some performance and usability improvements.