delete files in 3way folder merge

[DenSter]

I'm merging object text files in a 3way folder merge (vanilla version A in the middle, modified A left, vanilla version B right).

What I want to do is filter the 3way folder merge on 'Same' and delete all these files. At the bottom it says 'editing disabled'. Is there a way to make these folders editable? This works in a 2way Folder Compare - I can filter on 'Same', right click, and I can delete all equal files in one click.

I suppose I could do a 2way between A-A' and delete all equals, and then A-B and delete all orphans from B, but that doesn't feel right. Would be nice to delete files directly from the 3way folder compare.

Then the next step would be to filter where the left and right column are equal (meaning no modifications were made to version A, and I'm not interested in looking at diffs between vanilla A and B). My question is: is there a way to filter the list where left and middle are the same?

[Aaron]

Hello,

The Folder Merge session is designed to merge into an Output pane, but isn't directly editable or visible. The 3 inputs can 'merge' into the output using conventional merge/ancestor logic, and is represented by the green checkbox on the left side. The 3 visible input panes disable editing, similar to the Text Merge (although Text Merge can be launched from the Folder Merge for manual text editing).

When you mention "same" would it only need to be a matching pair or all 3? A matching pair would be deleted during the Output merge, since the change is the deletion of the file. All 3 equal would bring the file in, unaltered, to the output since that file was not changed from ancestor to output. My suggestion might be to create this output, then diff the Output to Ancestor and find Same/Equal files. You could then delete these in the Output if needed.

Right click the display filter toolbar and switch to Toggles mode. If a file exists only on the Left and Middle equal, and not on the right, that would be a Right Deletes (toggle). Merging these files, however, results in deleting it (or not bringing it in) the output; you would have to use the Copy To Output command instead.

[DenSter]

I think I may not have been clear in my first question. I do not want to edit either one of the input files, I'm OK with only the output file being editable. I'm looking for an easy way to delete files from the input folders. This is easy in a folder compare but doesn't seem to be available in a folder merge. I have 5-6,000 files in each of the input folders and it would be nice to be able to get rid of the ones that I don't have to merge.

In a regular "Folder Compare" session, where you look at the content of two folders, there is a feature where you can right-click a line and select 'Delete", which deletes that file from both folders. I am looking for a similar feature in the "Folder Merge" session, where I want to be able to delete the file from all three folders. I am hoping that this is possible and I just don't know how.

Forget about the filter question, I'll post a new thread for that.

[Aaron]

Hello,

Could you clarify "get rid of"? In protecting the input folders from edits, this includes deleting. The input folder content cannot be altered during a Merge; only the output is user editable. If you want to exclude these files from the Merge, you can set Display Filter to show only those files (Show Same), right click, and Exclude. This removes them from the comparison but does not delete them from the harddrive. Alternatively, the Merge command only acts on the selection so settings the Display Filter to naturally exclude them (Show Differences, removing any Same files), select -> Merge would also not include them in generating the output.

If the files are already in the Output folder, we don't have a method of deleting them from the Folder Merge (since the output is generated from the Inputs). Instead, you can use the Session menu -> Compare Output to -> Center, and in the new Folder Compare tab set to Show Same and delete the files you need in the output.

[DenSter]

Get rid of = delete, annihilate, destroy, remove

I have 3 folders with roughly 5000 files each. My task is to merge each one of them. The way I do this is is by first getting rid of the ones that are not 'merge-worthy' and then actually merging the ones that are left over. I could explain how I do this but that is not relevant. This is not meant as a discussion of why/how I do what I do, it is simply about the ability to delete the actual files. Not hide them from the display, but actually delete the files from the folders, so that the actual files are no longer there.

The point is, I would like to be able to delete the same file from three folders in one step. This is possible in a 2 way folder compare. You can select a line, right click and hit 'delete' and the same file is removed from both folders. I would like that same feature to be available in the 3 way folder merge. My question was if it is possible, and it seems not to be. I have a workaround that is twice the work, making this take twice as much time. I would be able to cut my time in half if I had this feature. Araxis has this feature.

I suppose this is now a feature request. Do I need to fill out a form? I'd be happy to share my screen and explain, walk you through the steps I take now.

[Aaron]

The Folder Merge does not support any deletion in any input pane. Our Folder/Text "Compare" session types allow full editing of the loaded folders/files, while the "Merge" session types direct all edits to an output and the inputs are protected. What you are looking for is a 3-way Folder Compare, which we do not currently support. There is no form to fill out; we track our customer feedback and I'll add your notes to our entry on the subject.

The workaround I mention to hide from the display is to prevent "un-merge worthy" files from entering the output. Once the output is generated, you can use the Folder Compare on the Input folders to delete specific files from the source or delete the entire source.

[DenSter]

Thanks Aaron, I appreciate your help Happy New Year

Simply hiding files from the display is not enough for my purpose (I could go into why here but it's not really relevant) I need them to be removed.

My workaround for those who are interested: In addition to my 3way merge, I have two additional 2 way compare sessions: session one with the common ancestor and the customization (Let's call these ORIG and MODIFIED), and session 2 with the common ancestor ORIG and the new standard version (let's call this TARGET), and this one set to only show orphans from TARGET. I compare ORIG to MODIFIED to determine which ones are "merge worthy". When I delete a pair of files from session 1, session 2 will then automatically be refreshed with the TARGET orphans. As soon as I delete the files from session 1, the TARGET file becomes an orphan and shows up in session 2, that I can then delete from there. The 3 way merge session automatically refreshes, the "unworthy" lines simply disappear, and I only have the objects that I need to merge.

It gets the job done but it's a pain in the neck to have to keep track of 3 open sessions. It would save me a LOT of time if there were a 'delete' option in the 2 way merge window that deletes the files from those folders. By the way, BC is still my favorite compare/merge tool, even with this missing feature

[Aaron]

Thanks.

I'll add these additional notes to our wishlist. It's not a feature we'll be able to tackle soon, but we'll be tracking it.