Basic help on the 3-way merge please

[pdegregorio]

3-way merge is a welcome feature ... can't wait for a 3-way directory merge feature.

I have used Araxis Merge and Guiffy as well and they depend on a "common ancestor", which in the case of Araxis is shown in the middle.

BC3 help does not give advice on which file should be which and I have two questions:

1. For each column (left, center, right) which file is recommended (trunk, common ancestor, branch aka mine, common ancestor, yours)?
2. When using Windows Explorer context menu what order should the three files be selected to put them in to the proper columns as defined in question 1?

[Michael Bulgrien]

The usual configuration is:

Left = Theirs
Right = Yours
Middle = Common Ancestor

[Chris]

To select files for merge from the context menu:

1. "Select Left File for Compare/Merge" is the Theirs/Left file.
2. "Select Center File" for the Common Ancestor/Center.
3. "Merge with" to select the Yours/Right file.

If you don't see the merge commands on the context menu, you'll need to add them. Select Tools > Options. Go to the Startup section. For Explorer Integration, you can select to include "Compare", "Compare Using", "Merge, and "Sync" commands on the main menu or as a submenu.