RE: Beginner's question on how to use git for multiple parallel versions

[Bill Lear <rael@zopyra.com>]

On Monday, January 4, 2010 at 14:35:25 (+0100) Christian C. Schouten writes:
>Dear Bill,
>
>Thanks for your prompt reply. It may very well be exactly what I need, but
>I'm afraid that I don't understand the syntax just yet (am still in the
>phase orienting on what version management is and how it should be set up).
>
>Could you please add to your answer whether I am using branches or another
>git technique (terminology?) and whether these are instructions that I can
>use to commit a change once the system has already been set up or if these
>actually are the instructions for defining the multiplicity of my project
>versions?

In my example, I used branches, but did not show how to set them up.
Here is the complete example, complete with repository and branch
creation; you would start your project here:

# Set up repo and add first file to main branch:
% mkdir my_project
% cd my_project
% git init
% echo "main line process stuff" > process.bpel
% git add process.bpel
% echo "<non-version-specific table info>" > table.xml
% git add table.xml
% git commit -a -m "First commit on master branch"

# Create branch A and branch B:
% git branch A
% git branch B

# Modify file on branch A:
% git checkout A
% echo "<table A>" > table.xml
% git commit -a -m "Modify table on Branch A"

# Modify file on branch B:
% git checkout B
% echo "<table B>" > table.xml
% git commit -a -m "Modify table on Branch B"

# Now go back to master and make some changes on common file:
% git checkout master
% cat process.bpel
main line process stuff
% echo "add more process stuff" >> process.bpel
% git commit -a -m "fix process stuff on master"

# Now go to branch A and pull in the common file:
% git checkout A
% git merge master
% cat process.bpel
main line process stuff
add more process stuff

# Now go to branch B and pull in the common file:
% git checkout B
% git merge master
% cat process.bpel
main line process stuff
add more process stuff

That should be just about all you need.


Bill