Question

I’m very new to this version control business and slowly learning my way. I’ve learned how to create a repository and to commit changes to it. The story right now (for which I think version control is perfect, though I’m not sure the best practice) is this:

I have software A. It is generic.

I need to modify 2 files in the codebase for Company B. This will make it Software B.

That’s the ONLY change I need to do; after that I just want to continue working on A as if Software B had never existed.

What is the best way for doing this? Just exporting Software A, modifiyng it and sending it to the client? Working within the repository, committing, and then “backing out”? I’ve tried fudging with the close branch and branch but either I’m too dumb to get it to work or its broken (I keep getting “HEAD ALREADY CLOSED” or something).

Any pointers to tutorials about this would be helpful – and I really stress, as annoying as it may be, I’d like help on how to do this from within the tortoise GUI on Win7, NOT the command line please.

Answer 1

OK. You can and have really use Mercurial branches, at least one additional branch per client

• Don’t close customers branches
• Use distinctive names

I need to modify 2 files in the codebase for Company B. This will make it Software B.

• Edit files, save changes.

• Start commit procedure, i.e in commit pane click on “Branch: default” text (which works like button really) and in this form select 2-nd choice “Open new named branch”, select name of branch, press OK. This effectively change branch for this (still unfinished) commit

• Enter commit message, press Commit button (see Right-Top on Shot2), confirm creating new branch
• After commit workbench window will show you one more commit, and revision 1 (in my example) is from different branch Cust1 (“Branch” column content and green label in changeset “Description”), revision 0 still in default and we are in active revision 1

• When return to mainline is needed – RClick on needed (latest in default branch?) changeset in changeset-list and “Update” from conext-menu – we change the point, in which our WC mirror repo, to some previous state (checked by file-content verification)

• Fix base code, commit without touching options

• If we have change customer’s version – update to latest cset in his branch

edit and commit