I have some changes in a DEVELOPMENT branch that I want to merge to the RELEASE branch. After creating the merge I exclude a particular line from being merged. What seems to happen after the merge is completed is that the excluded part is overwritten by the code from the RELEASE branch, so my original code is gone. Is this intentional? It looks like the merge is bi-directional.
Question
What happens to exclusions during a merge?
+23Hi,
I assume the DEVELOPMENT branch (DEV) is a branch from the RELEASE branch (REL). This means if you want to continue working in DEV and merge with REL, that you will need to perform a reciprocal merge.
This will merge all changes from DEV into REL and all changes in REL to DEV. Then both are the same at that point. REL contains the same objects as DEV after this reciprocal merge.
If you were to exclude actions from this merge session, these (DEV) actions will be excluded and not merged to REL, and the merge session will undo/revert these actions in the DEV branch as a reciprocal merge dictates that the branches are exactly the same at that point. Excluding an action is not limited to excluding it from the merge session, it will be reverted to its prior state.
The Merge impact shows the impact the merge session has on the Source and Target branch in a reciprocal merge, but that is seen from the point from the other branch. Excluding an action does not show up as a Revert insert (for example) of the object in the other detail tab.
So, in short, any excluded action in a reciprocal merge is reverted in the source/target branch as the state of the branches must be exactly the same after a reciprocal merge.
Hope this sheds some light on it! I also wrote a blog about merging and the considerations:
- Rookie
Hi Mark, thanks for your quick reply. I don't want a reciprocal merge: I want the changes of DEV merged into REL, not vice versa. Is that possible?
+23I want the changes of DEV merged into REL, not vice versa. Is that possible?
Certainly, the DEV branch may not be protected in that case. Then you will be able to perform a merge from DEV to REL and Archive the branch after the merge session, or Finalize it and declare the branch definitive at that point.
To essentially close the branch, no other branches may exist that have DEV as their Origin; or in other words, branches that have been made from DEV. Only then, the Protected state can be turned off in Model overview > Branches by editing the record.
It is not possible to only merge changes from one branch to another without closing the Source branch or update it by the reciprocal merge, only in case of an Arbitrary branch that would be possible,
Info on these:
https://docs.thinkwisesoftware.com/docs/sf/branches#protect-a-branch
https://docs.thinkwisesoftware.com/docs/sf/merging#1-create-a-merge-session
https://docs.thinkwisesoftware.com/blog/2024_2#models---merge-changes-into-an-arbitrary-branch
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