Split merge conflicts blocks

Split merge conflicts blocks

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Ma Nu best practices , merging 0 Comments

One of the most frequent questions we receive about Xmerge, Plastic SCMs built-in mergetool, is why the following merge scenario does not automatically resolve:

Scenario explained

This situation is not about that the scenario is not supported, but rather, it is about how the merge algorithm works.

The default merge algorithm tries to join as many conflicts as possible. In this case, it proposes a manual conflict to let the user verify if the new line added by the destination contributor works well with the line changed by the source contributor.

Learn more about merge contributors

We allow the user to change the described behavior by using the "Split conflict blocks" option.

With this option enabled, the merge algorithm splits the conflict in two (or more). In this case, this is enough to turn the merge into an automatic one.

The image below shows the same merge scenario using the "Split conflict blocks" option.

The first conflict refers to the first line changed from Console.WriteLine("Hello world"); to Console.WriteLine("Hello world!");. That is 100% automatic.

The second conflict is the add operation of the line Console.WriteLine("Hello again!");. This is automatic resolution as well.

I hope you have learned something new about our Xmerge! :-)

Manuel Lucio

I'm in charge of the Customer Support area.
I deal with complex setups, policies and working methodologies on a daily basis.
Prior to taking full responsibility of support, I worked as software engineer. I have been in charge of load testing for quite some time, so if you want to know how well Plastic compares to SVN or P4 under a really heavy load, I'm your guy.
I like to play with Arduino GPS devices, mountain biking and playing tennis.
You can find me hooked to my iPhone, skate-boarding or learning Korean... and also here @mrcatacroquer.