External merge tool support (WIP)

[Ben Finney]

Gordon Tyler <gordon.tyler at gmail.com> writes:

> The 'bzr mergetool' command has been removed and instead I've added a
> '--using <tool>' option to the 'bzr resolve' command, which invokes the
> tool for each file specified or all files with unresolved conflicts if
> the '--all' option is given. If the merge tool terminates with an exit
> code of 0, the file is marked as resolved as 'bzr resolve <file>'
> would.

I'm ambivalent on this change.

On the one hand, I think that ‘bzr merge’ is not the right place to
invoke a merge tool (despite the term for such a tool), as others have
pointed out.

On the second hand, ‘bzr resolve’ already has an established meaning: to
tell Bazaar that the change *is now* resolved, with no further changes
needed. Your option muddies that meaning, by a conflicting meaning of
*making new changes*. I think that change in meaning is not something to
do lightly, and we should not allow it without a compelling reason.

On the gripping hand, I still think ‘bzr diff --using TOOL’ is a good
way to invoke a merge tool and make further changes. How does this new
functionality compare with that?

> I have also renamed the '--tool' option on the 'bzr merge' command to
> '--using'.

I'm still concerned that, attached to the ‘bzr merge’ command, this is
confusing. It's not clear that the meaning of this option is to use a
particular tool, rather than use a particular merge algorithm.

Attached to some other command, the ‘--using’ option doesn't have that
problem, and works well IMO.

-- 
 \        “I fly Air Bizarre. You buy a combination one-way round-trip |
  `\    ticket. Leave any Monday, and they bring you back the previous |
_o__)     Friday. That way you still have the weekend.” —Steven Wright |
Ben Finney
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