Merging an entire branch
========================
You can merge changes made on a branch into your working copy by
giving the `-j BRANCHNAME' flag to the `update' subcommand. With one
`-j BRANCHNAME' option it merges the changes made between the point
where the branch forked and newest revision on that branch (into your
working copy).
The `-j' stands for "join".
Consider this revision tree:
+-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+
! 1.1 !----! 1.2 !----! 1.3 !----! 1.4 ! <- The main trunk
+-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+
!
!
! +---------+ +---------+
Branch R1fix -> +---! 1.2.2.1 !----! 1.2.2.2 !
+---------+ +---------+
The branch 1.2.2 has been given the tag (symbolic name) `R1fix'. The
following example assumes that the module `mod' contains only one file,
`m.c'.
$ cvs checkout mod # Retrieve the latest revision, 1.4
$ cvs update -j R1fix m.c # Merge all changes made on the branch,
# i.e. the changes between revision 1.2
# and 1.2.2.2, into your working copy
# of the file.
$ cvs commit -m "Included R1fix" # Create revision 1.5.
A conflict can result from a merge operation. If that happens, you
should resolve it before committing the new revision. Note:Conflicts
example.
If your source files contain keywords (Note:Keyword substitution),
you might be getting more conflicts than strictly necessary. See Note:Merging and keywords, for information on how to avoid this.
The `checkout' command also supports the `-j BRANCHNAME' flag. The
same effect as above could be achieved with this:
$ cvs checkout -j R1fix mod
$ cvs commit -m "Included R1fix"
It should be noted that `update -j TAGNAME' will also work but may
not produce the desired result. Note:Merging adds and removals, for
more.