Re: -X theirs does not resolve symlink conflict Was: BUG: merge -s theirs is not in effect

From: Yaroslav Halchenko <yoh@onerussian.com>
Date: Sep 26, 2017, 13:37 UTC
Message-ID: <20170926133703.7gtk5ztkhqvfxszh@hopa.kiewit.dartmouth.edu>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqa81ichdu.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>

On Tue, 26 Sep 2017, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> >> I do not recall people talking about symbolic links but the case of
> >> binary files has been on the wishlist for a long time, and I do not
> >> know of anybody who is working on (or is planning to work on) it.

> > Ah, I misremembered.

Show 5 quoted lines

> > We've addressed the "binary files" case back in 2012 with a944af1d
> > ("merge: teach -Xours/-Xtheirs to binary ll-merge driver",
> > 2012-09-08).  I do not know offhand if it is just as easy to plumb
> > the MERGE_FAVOR_{OURS,THEIRS} bits thru the symbolic link codepath,
> > like that patch did to the binary file codepath.

> Perhaps the attached (totally untested) patch might be a good
> starting point.  I do not know if you are interested in hacking on
> Git, and I do not feel offended if you are not, but perhaps somebody

I would have felt honored to "hack on Git" but neither my C-foo is up to par, neither there would be more time I could adequately allocate for such endeavor. So meanwhile I am trying to contribute in hopefully constructive "whining" while exploiting git.

> else might get interested in seeing if this #leftoverbits is a good
> direction to go in, and finishing it with docs and tests if it is
> ;-)

>  merge-recursive.c | 17 +++++++++++++----
>  1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

> >...<

This patch worked beautifully in my usecase!:

$> rm -rf /tmp/repo1; mkdir /tmp/repo1; cd /tmp/repo1; git init .; ln -s sym1 link; echo 1 > file; git add file link; git commit -m 'common'; git co -b b1 ; ln -sf b1link link; echo "b1 file" >| file; git commit -m 'b2 changes' -a; git co master; ln -sf masterlink link; echo "master file" >| file; git commit -m 'also modified in master' -a; git merge -X theirs --no-edit b1; ls -l link; cat file                                                       
warning: templates not found /home/yoh/share/git-core/templates                                                                
Initialized empty Git repository in /tmp/repo1/.git/
[master (root-commit) d2e9010] common
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 file
 create mode 120000 link
Switched to a new branch 'b1'
[b1 a2b1321] b2 changes
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
Switched to branch 'master'
[master fbb4ba7] also modified in master
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
Auto-merging link
Auto-merging file
Merge made by the 'recursive' strategy.
 file | 2 +-
 link | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
lrwxrwxrwx 1 yoh yoh 6 Sep 26 09:32 link -> b1link
b1 file

I also tried -s ours and no explicit -s, and they did as prescribed as well

PS thanks for the CCs

-- 
Yaroslav O. Halchenko
Center for Open Neuroscience     http://centerforopenneuroscience.org
Dartmouth College, 419 Moore Hall, Hinman Box 6207, Hanover, NH 03755
Phone: +1 (603) 646-9834                       Fax: +1 (603) 646-1419
WWW:   http://www.linkedin.com/in/yarik