ClearCase: Working offline hijacking files, then checking out / merging

Question

I'm looking at a scenario where I have an offline clear case view and I modify files in this view clearing the read-only attribute (hijacking) on the files I modify then several days later I take the view online and need to get my offline changes into the stream.

What I would do is check out the hijacked files and check them back in (merging when necessary).

Is it always safe to work this way?
Is it possible that while adding my changes I would accidentally overwrite other people's changes done while I was working offline? Any recommendations on how to use ClearCase offline?

Thanks!

(I'm asking because a college says that this offline way of working can lead to overwriting other's changes, specifically in cases when one updates ones view after working offline for a while before converting the hijacked files into checkouts. He says it won't event propose to do a merge in some cases, just completely overwrite the contents of the element being converted with the contents of the hijacked file)

Answer 1

No you won't override anything while working offline.

ClearCase has a reconcliation mechanism for a snapshot view, which, when you get back online, will allow you to:

• search for all hijacked files
• checkout those files
• then checkin them, which is when ClearCase will prompt you for a merge, if any new version has been done on that file during your time offline.
  That merge will be a three-way merge with:
  • root version: the version before any modification by you or other
  • source version: the matest checkin version (done while you were offline)
  • destination version: your current file