Re: Possible merge bug
From: Johannes Sixt <hidden>
Date: 2021-11-13 07:11:55
Am 13.11.21 um 04:49 schrieb Michael Schiff:
quoted hunk ↗ jump to hunk
This script includes an extra new-line, turing the final change into a 2 line diff, which is caught correctly. Modified to:--- 8< ---git --version --build-options rm -rf sample mkdir sample cd sample git init echo -e "a\nb\nc" > test git add . git commit -m "abc" git branch b1 git switch b1 echo -e "b\na\nc" > test git add . git commit -m "bac" git switch master git branch b2 git switch b2 echo -e "b\nc\na" > test git add . git commit -m "bca" git switch master echo "----- Merging b1 -----" git merge b1 cat test echo "----- Merging b2 -----" git merge b2 echo "----- Content of test -----" cat test--- 8< ---The only meaningful difference being the removal of the trailing \n from the first echo. Running it produces the output: git version 2.34.0.rc0.377.g6d82a21a3b cpu: x86_64 built from commit: 6d82a21a3b699caf378cb0f89b6b0e803fc58480 sizeof-long: 8 sizeof-size_t: 8 shell-path: /bin/sh hint: Using 'master' as the name for the initial branch. This default branch name hint: is subject to change. To configure the initial branch name to use in all hint: of your new repositories, which will suppress this warning, call: hint: hint: git config --global init.defaultBranch <name> hint: hint: Names commonly chosen instead of 'master' are 'main', 'trunk' and hint: 'development'. The just-created branch can be renamed via this command: hint: hint: git branch -m <name> Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/michaelschiff/Desktop/sample/.git/ [master (root-commit) 8d6bc12] abc 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+) create mode 100644 test Switched to branch 'b1' [b1 b5328d8] bac 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) Switched to branch 'master' Switched to branch 'b2' [b2 98603f6] bca 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) Switched to branch 'master' ----- Merging b1 ----- Updating 8d6bc12..b5328d8 Fast-forward test | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) b a c ----- Merging b2 ----- Auto-merging test Merge made by the 'ort' strategy. test | 1 + 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+) ----- Content of test ----- b a c a
There is no bug. Before the merge, the diff on our side is
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ -a b +a c
and the diff on their side is
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ -a b c +a
Notice how both sides remove the first line, '-a'. The diff algorithm treats this identical change on both sides not as a conflict, but simply as "both sides did the same thing, so let's take it". This leaves two changes: our side added 'a' in the middle and their side added 'a' at the end. Both changes are separated by a common context, 'c', which does not produce a conflict as desired. Hence, no conflict in total. There is one thing to notice, though. Our side turns 'abc' into 'bac', i.e., swaps the first two lines. There is no unique "true" patch text that represents a change that swaps two regions of code. It could be
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ -a b +a c
or
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ +b a -b c
Git's diff algrithm (and henceforth merge algorithm) happens to pick the
first one in this case. Had it picked the second option, there would
have been a conflict, I think ('-a' vs. '+b').
-- Hannes