Re: [PATCH] mergetools/p4merge: Handle "/dev/null"

On Sat, Oct 27, 2012 at 1:47 AM, Jeremy Morton [off-list ref] wrote:

Sorry to be replying to this so late; I hadn't noticed the post until now!

I've tried putting that code in my p4merge script and yes it does indeed
work fine.  However, it puts a temporary file in the working directory which
I'm not sure is a good idea?  If we look at this patch which actually solved
pretty much the same problem, but when merging and, during a merge conflict,
a file was created in both branches:
https://github.com/git/git/commit/ec245ba

... it is creating a temp file in a proper temp dir, rather than in the
working dir.  I think that would be the proper solution here.  However, I
really want to get this fixed so I'd be happy for this band-aid fix of the
p4merge script to be checked in until we could get a patch more like the
aforementioned one, at a later date, to create empty files in a proper temp
dir and pass them as $LOCAL and $REMOTE.  :-)

I had the same thoughts when I wrote it, but I figured that following
the existing pattern used by mergetool for $REMOTE and $LOCAL when
they do exist was simpler as the first step.

I have a patch that fixes this by using mktemp that I will send shortly.
It only does it for the /dev/null file since the existing behavior for
files that do exist is fine.
-- 
David