Merging Files That Do Not Conflict

If the file in the destination workspace is being updated (the file has changed in the source of a Bringover or Putback transaction and has not changed in the destination), the new deltas from the destination are added to the history file in the destination. The reason that SCCS history files are merged at all in this case, rather than the source history file being copied over the destination history file, is that administrative information (for example, flags and access lists) stored in the destination history file would be overwritten.

To accomplish the merger, the Configuring program determines where the delta histories diverge and adds (to the destination workspace) only the deltas that were created in the source workspace since they diverged. To determine where the histories diverge, the Configuring program compares the delta tables in both the parent and child history files; information used in this comparison includes comments and data such as when and who created the delta. Figure 10-1 contains an example of a Putback transaction where the Configuring program adds deltas 1.3 and 1.4 from the child workspace to the SCCS history file in the parent.

Figure 10-1 Updating a File in the Destination Workspace That Has Not Changed