[p4] Branching questions

[steve@vance.com]

Steve --

I almost always favor putting the complexity in the branch spec over
putting it in the client spec. I do this because there is a much smaller
set of people using (or authoring) the branch spec than the client spec, so
it reduces the opportunity for errors. When I do require a more complex
client spec, I create a template version that everyone can copy from.

About the only time I don't bother putting the complexity in the branch
spec is when the purpose of it is very restricted in terms of re-use and
number of consumers.

Steve

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Steven W. Orr steveo at syslang.net
Date: 	Mon, 19 Jun 2006 09:50:11 -0400 (EDT)
To: perforce-user at perforce.com
Subject: [p4] Branching questions


I'm trying to develop methodolgies and I have a branching strategy 
question.

I have been handed a repository that, for the sake of discussion, has a 
misorganized main branch, and the powers that be want the directory 
structure redone. I am doing this by creating a branch spec and creating 
what will be a new main. After I'm done, everything in the old main will 
be in newmain and that newmain branch will be utilized like it really 
is main.

My question has to do with use of client specs vs. branchspecs. Once I'm 
done creating the newmain branch, I can create a workspace which will be 
based on a simple default client spec.

newmain/... -> ...

The alternative would be for everyone going forward to use more complex 
client specs that perform the mappings that the branchspec would do just 
once. Is there some sort of expressed wisdom somewhere that suggests when 
it is more appropriater to use a branchspec to create a fully populated 
branch for a group of developers instead of giving the developers an 
example client spec that, while more complicated, would end up with the 
branch only containing versions that are different from whence they came?

Does this question make sense?

TIA

-- 
Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana. Stranger things have 
.0.
happened but none stranger than this. Does your driver's license say Organ
..0
Donor?Black holes are where God divided by zero. Listen to me! We are all-
000
individuals! What if this weren't a hypothetical question?
steveo at syslang.net
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