[p4] "why should I restrict a changelist to a branch?"

[Yoramo]

First of all i think that keeping chngelists content to one branch is
a good practice.
It enables you to integrate your changes from branch to branch.
Imagine what will happen if you will try to integrate a changelist
that is not homogenous to a third branch (it will fail).

Further more I have created a trigger that enforces this rule; I
strongly encourage you to do so as well.

Yoramo.

On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 12:35:50 -0500, Jay Glanville
<Jay.Glanville at naturalconvergence.com> wrote:
> Hello all.
> 
> I need some help (in so many ways, but for now, lets focus on P4 help).
> I need a good argument for a situation.
> 
> Just the other day, I noticed that co-worker submitted a changelist that
> modified the same file in two different branches.  I recommended to him
> that it probably would be better if he limited a changelist to a single
> branch.  To which, he replied, "Why?  Both versions of the file were
> modified for the same reason (a bug)."
> 
> My counter argument was, "to keep the two branches in sync.  By making
> the change in one branch, and then integrating it into the other branch
> allows us to see that delta A has been propagated to the other branch."
> 
> His counter to my counter was, "So what?  Once they branched, they now
> have separate lives.  If I want to apply a single change to both
> versions, I'll do it in a single changelist.  Besides, what does an
> integrate actually mean?  Does it mean that the branches are
> synchronized?  What does it mean when I've only propagated some changes
> and not all?  Performing 'p4 integrate' doesn't actually give me
> anything."
> 
> And that's where I failed:  I couldn't think of a good argument as to
> why he should limit a changelist to a single branch.
> 
> Let me ask, oh wise and glorious P4 gurus (a little flattery never hurts
> ;-) ), what arguments would you give to encourage your users to limit
> their changelists to a single branch?  Or would you?  Is there anything
> wrong with what my co-worker has done?
> 
> I apologize as this is a slight off-topic request (it doesn't directly
> apply to P4, but is more a general source control management
> philosophical question).
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> JDG
> 
> ---
> Jay Glanville
> Application Software Designer
> Natural Convergence
> 
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-- 

Yoramo