OK, let's say I've got this file, abc.properties. It's a text file, not binary. It's stored in CVS. My team and I are doing concurrent development on this file, and also using multiple branches.

So the file history might look like this:

\nabc.properties\n+- 1.1\n+- 1.2\n+- 1.3\n|  +- 1.3.2.1 ("Branch_1")\n|  +- 1.3.2.2\n|  +- 1.3.2.3 (not yet merged into the head)\n+- 1.4\n|  +- 1.4.2.1 ("Branch_2")\n|  +- 1.4.2.2 (merged into trunk as 1.5)\n+- 1.5\n+- 1.6\n

So now let's say that I want to merge Revision 1.3.2.3 (the most recent version on "Branch_1") into the head.

The commands I have been using to do this are:
cvs -q up -A (to get me onto the head revision)
cvs -q up -dP -j Branch_1 (to merge the latest changes from "Branch_1" into the head)

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that there are luckily no conflicts resulting from this merge. All changes have been in disparate parts of the file, and CVS has been able to resolve changes without human intervention.

In this case, what will happen to changes that have been made on "Branch_2" (1.4.0.2 branch)? Will they be completely lost? If so, how do I stop that from happening?

I'm asking this question because I'm in charge of merges at work, and going through CVS history on a file appears to show that changes in a case similar to this are indeed getting lost. I'm at a loss to explain how this can happen.

Some web pages that I've been using as CVS help guides:
[link|http://computing.ee.ethz.ch/sepp/cvs-1.10-to/cvsbook/main_35.html|http://computing.ee....book/main_35.html]
[link|http://www.psc.edu/~semke/cvs_branches.html|http://www.psc.edu/~...cvs_branches.html]
[link|http://wiki.x.org/wiki/CvsBranchnames|http://wiki.x.org/wiki/CvsBranchnames]

TIA,

Make your local repository branch 1: -r 1.3.2.3. From there, do 'cvs up -A'. This will merge into your local copy all changes made to the head since you branched...

I'm not quite sure you have the right command there.

The command you quoted is the same one I quoted: cvs -q up -A The difference is the -q for "quiet mode." Big deal, no effect on what the command does.

What you described, however, sounds like the command: cvs -q up -j HEAD. Is that what you meant?

[2] Yeah, I used tkCVS. You gonna make something of it?

Why? What would I do? Make light of the fact that you're a GUI-weenie who can't do things the Real Man way of using the command-line? Naw, what would be the point in that?[1]



[1] (Weenie.)

PS- The Cederqvist is ass. And the Wiki admits in multiple places that the CVS documentation has suffered from documented-feature-removal over time. Branching is, notably, one of those places where the documentation is less than complete.