Exclude a config file from the merge process

Question

Is there a way to exclude a specified file from the merge process? when merging from our production branch to the test branch for the testers to use, we want to exclude a config file which contains the SQL connection string. Preventing the need to edit it post merge. I did see a comment about using the cloak option but i can only see this available for folders not files.

Tim

Answer 1

There are a few different ways you can do this. If you don't plan on changing your config file in the future and you just don't want its current contents to make it to the parent branch, you could simply do a "tf merge /discard" on the file and check that in. That basically says, never merge the changes that have happened to this file to the target branch. However, if the file changes again, it will be a candidate for a merge.

So, if you plan on continuing to change the config file in question, then you have two options. The first is to always cloak this file in the target branch workspace that you are performing the merge in. Yes, it is possible to cloak files, it is just the picker in the dialog doesn't make this easy. If you navigate all of the way down to the containing folder, select that and then manually enter the file name at the end of the folder string, the cloak will work on the file. This approach has the downside that you have to remember to always cloak this file in the workspace that you are performing the merge in and if someone forgets to do that, the file will be merged up.

The third, and likely best, solution to this problem is to use the tfpt.exe power tool with the branches command to cloak the config file from the parent's branch mappings. You can download the latest 2010 power tools here. You will want to run "tfpt branches /properties /collection:" and then select the "mappings" channel. In there you will probably just see a single mapping for the root of the branch. You will want to create a cloak mapping for the file you do not want to be merged and then click OK. On all subsequent merges to that branch (note, from any other branch) the file in question will not be merged.