Merging Install Templates (.ism)...

[Superfreak3]

Hi all,

We're starting to work with branches and I have a few questions about merging branches into the trunk when installation templates are involved. I'm wondering if the changes I make in a future release branch will be maintained when that branch is merged into the trunk.

For example let's say I have a current install template in the trunk with the following specs...

Product Name = My New App v1
Features = Feature1, Feature2
Components = Component1, Component2
Custom Action = ExampleAction
Duplicate File Record associated with Component1
Move and Remove File Record associated with Component1

While that is being worked on in prep for shipping, I'm also working in a future release branch and that install looks like this...

Product Name = My New App v2
Features = Feature1, Feature3
Components = Component1, Component3
Custom Action = SecondAction
Duplicate File Record associated with Component3
Move and Remove File Record associated with Component3

We ship and are at the point now where we are ready to merge the future release branch into the trunk. Will my resulting .ism contain the second set of specs. Are all the changes made magically.

Typically our .ism's are stored in TFS, but in situations like this I currently make all the changes separately and put the later in place when ready. I guess in other words I don't rely on Merging for my install templates. Is that a good thing? I know it could lead to some duplication in work.

Is Merging of .ism's reliable. In our actual install packages there are lots of Duplicate/Move/Remove file entries that will differ from release to release so I don't want anything getting lost, mangled, etc.

Feel free to fire any questions if my questions aren't clear.

Thanks in advance for helping!!

[chad_petersen]

We use TFS exclusively these days and have found merging of ISMs to be totally unreliable - instead we merge all the code except the ISMs at which point I make all prior changes from one ISM into the target ISM. Totally manual process for me. But, I prefer it to what we saw happening.

Chad

[Superfreak3]

chad.petersen wrote:
We use TFS exclusively these days and have found merging of ISMs to be totally unreliable - instead we merge all the code except the ISMs at which point I make all prior changes from one ISM into the target ISM. Totally manual process for me. But, I prefer it to what we saw happening.

Chad

Thanks for that! I feared loosing stuff in Merges so I've always done the manual changes. Its duplicate or repeated work sometimes, but I see that far outweighing the potential headaches.