[SVN-4215] --include-externals option for svn merge

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Open
• Priority: Critical
• Resolution: Unresolved
• Affects Version/s: 1.7.x
• Fix Version/s: unscheduled
• Component/s: unknown
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Subversion Importer
• Created: 01/Aug/12 06:19
• Updated: 14/Dec/12 16:31

Description

Bug buddy: Stefan Sperling
Prio P2 as it is a daily use problem when using svn:externals for code sharing
Workaround: Performing separate merges for every svn:external

Description:
As svn:externals can be silently included into commits it is easily overseen 
that a commit includes externals at merging. So if these externals are not 
silently merged or at least warned while merging they will be overseen -> an 
great source for new bugs...

The merge of svn:externals is not done automatically independent of if
the folder at the merge target is an linked svn:externals folder or a
real folder.


Detailed Example:
Imagine the following svn structure:
svn://svn/test/main/trunc
  svn:external Propery: svn://svn/test/sub/trunc sub
  File: Mainfile.txt
svn://svn/test/sub/trunc Project
  File: Subfile.txt

Now create a branch and set the svn:external Propery:
svn://svn/test/main/branch1
  svn:external Propery: svn://svn/test/sub/branch1 sub
  File: Mainfile.txt
svn://svn/test/sub/branch1 Project
  File: Subfile.txt


On a Checkout of main Project this will result in the following file structures:
  mainTrunc
  | Mainfile.txt
  | sub
  | | Subfile.txt
  mainBranch
  | Mainfile.txt
  | sub
  | | Subfile.txt


Now make changes at Mainfile.txt and Subfile.txt at trunc in one
commit with version 123. To merge these changes to the branch you need:
1. Go to mainBranch folder an merge svn://svn/test/main/trunc version 123
2. Go to mainBranch/sub folder and merge svn://svn/test/sub/trunc version 123
All information required for the 2. merge of the svn:externals folder is
already known by the svn client. It knows there are files at the
svn://svn/test/sub/trunc folder included at these commit and it knows
these files are loyally stored at mainBranch/sub folder. So these 2. merge
should be done automatically if the --include-externals option is given.

http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/subversion-users/201207.mbox/[e-mail]%3E

Original issue reported by hessi9