The merge algorithm
uses the following files during a merge:
- Contributors, which are typically one version from each
branch you are merging. (You can merge up to 15 contributors.) You specify
which versions are contributors.
- The base contributor, which is typically the closest common
ancestor of the contributors. (For selective merges, subtractive merges, and
merges in an environment with complex branch structures, the base contributor
may not be the closest common ancestor.) The base contributor is determined
by ClearCase. The target contributor, which is typically the latest version
on the branch that will contain the results of the merge. You determine which
version is the target contributor.
- The merge output file or directory, which contains the results
of the merge and is usually checked in as a successor to the target contributor.
By default, the merge output file is the checked-out version of the target
contributor, but you can choose a different file to contain the merge output.