Merging Window

Merging displays two text files (the parent and child deltas) for side-by-side comparison, each in a read-only pane (see Figure 4-1). Beneath them is a pane that contains a merged version of the two files. The merged version contains selected lines from either or both deltas and can be edited to produce a final merged version.

Each delta in each of the top panes is shown in comparison to the common ancestor delta:

• The child delta is displayed in the left pane labeled Child

• The parent delta is displayed in the right pane labeled Parent

The common ancestor is the delta from which both the parent and child deltas are descended. This arrangement permits you to make a three-way comparison--each delta to the common ancestor, and each delta to the other.