How to use the Glab Merge Request Create Command (with examples)

The Glab merge request create command is used to manage merge requests in GitLab. It allows you to create new merge requests and specify various parameters such as the target branch, title, and description. You can also create merge requests interactively or automatically fill in the title and description based on commit messages. Additionally, you can create draft merge requests and open merge requests in the default web browser.

Use case 1: Interactively create a merge request

Code:

glab mr create

Motivation: Creating merge requests interactively provides a convenient way to ensure that all necessary information is included for the merge request. It allows you to review and modify the details before submitting the request.

Explanation: Running the glab mr create command without any additional arguments will prompt you to enter the required information for the merge request, including the source branch, target branch, title, and description.

Example output:

? Source branch: feature/branch-name
? Target branch: main
? Title: Implement new feature
? Description: This merge request implements a new feature that improves performance.

Use case 2: Create a merge request using commit messages to determine the title and description

Code:

glab mr create --fill

Motivation: When creating merge requests, it can be time-consuming to manually enter the title and description. Using this command, you can automatically fill in the title and description based on the commit messages of the current branch, which can save time and ensure consistency.

Explanation: The --fill flag tells the glab mr create command to populate the title and description of the merge request with the commit messages of the current branch. This is useful when the commit messages provide concise and informative information about the changes.

Example output:

Title: Implement new feature
Description:
- Commit 1: Add new functionality to improve performance.
- Commit 2: Refactor existing code to follow best practices.

Use case 3: Create a draft merge request

Code:

glab mr create --draft

Motivation: Draft merge requests are useful when you want to share your work in progress with others for feedback, but not yet ready for final review and merging. This allows collaborators to provide comments and suggestions without affecting the main development branch.

Explanation: The --draft flag indicates that the merge request should be created as a draft. Draft merge requests are marked as “Work In Progress” and cannot be merged until they are marked as ready for review.

Example output:

Merge request created as a draft.

Use case 4: Create a merge request specifying the target branch, title, and description

Code:

glab mr create --target-branch main --title "Implement new feature" --description "This merge request implements a new feature that improves performance."

Motivation: Sometimes you may want to specify the target branch, title, and description directly when creating a merge request without any prompts or using commit messages. This allows for more precise control over the merge request details.

Explanation: The --target-branch flag specifies the branch where the changes will be merged into. The --title flag sets the title of the merge request, and the --description flag sets the description.

Example output:

Merge request created with specified target branch, title, and description.

Use case 5: Start opening a merge request in the default web browser

Code:

glab mr create --web

Motivation: Opening a merge request in the default web browser is useful when you want to view and modify the details of the merge request in the GitLab web interface. It provides a more interactive and visual way to work with merge requests.

Explanation: The --web flag instructs the glab mr create command to open the newly created merge request in the default web browser. This allows you to review and edit the merge request in the web interface.

Example output:

A new browser window/tab opens, displaying the merge request in the GitLab web interface.

Conclusion:

The glab mr create command provides several versatile use cases for managing merge requests in GitLab. Whether you want to create merge requests interactively, automatically generate the title and description from commit messages, create draft merge requests, specify target branch, title, and description directly, or open merge requests in the web browser, this powerful command has got you covered.