Using tools to compare and merge files and directories

With the ClearCase Remote Client you can compare or merge files and directories.
You must connect to a Rational ClearCase server to compare a resource with its predecessor.

When you check in a modified resource, you may need to compare your changes with ones that another team member has made to the same resource and decide how to resolve any conflicts. Certain types of nonconflicting merges, called trivial merges, are handled automatically. For merges that require you to resolve a conflict, the ClearCase Remote Client includes tools that provide type-specific compare and merge capabilities for the following types of resources:

The available tools include external tools, based on programs that are included in the native ClearCase client, and internal tools, which include the ClearCase Remote Client Integrated (UTF-8) tools, Eclipse tools, and Rational Software Architect tools (if installed). Directory comparisons are only performed by the ClearCase tools or the ClearCase Remote Client Integrated (UTF-8) tools.

In the ClearCase Remote Client, they are invoked as needed by the ClearCase compare icon Compare with Predecessor operation or the Compare with Another ClearCase Version operation, and also by Rebase Stream, Deliver from Stream, ClearCase Merge Manager, and the ClearCase Version Tree. Merge tools can also be invoked when you perform a check-in that requires merging.

You can customize the settings for these tools using the Compare/Merge Preferences page (ClearCase Remote Client > Integration > Compare/Merge).

If the selected resource is a file, the previous version is fetched from the server and placed in a temporary file. The compare or merge tool appropriate to the file type is started and compares the currently loaded version of the resource with its predecessor. (If no version of the selected file is loaded, the selected version of the file and its predecessor version are retrieved from the server, placed in temporary files, and compared.)

If the selected resource is a folder, information about the current version and other version(s) of the folder is retrieved from the server and placed in temporary files. The ClearCase directory comparison utility compares the currently loaded version of the resource with the other version.

Related concepts
Compare and Merge operations
About ClearCase views
About VOBs and versioned objects
About branches, versions, and labels
Related tasks
Finding resources that need to be merged
Related reference
ClearCase Merge Manager
Merge Manager Search Results

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