git-merge-file(1)
=================

NAME
----
git-merge-file - Run a three-way file merge


SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git merge-file' [-L <current-name> [-L <base-name> [-L <other-name>]]]
	[-p|--stdout] [-q|--quiet] <current-file> <base-file> <other-file>


DESCRIPTION
-----------
'git-merge-file' incorporates all changes that lead from the `<base-file>`
to `<other-file>` into `<current-file>`. The result ordinarily goes into
`<current-file>`. 'git-merge-file' is useful for combining separate changes
to an original. Suppose `<base-file>` is the original, and both
`<current-file>` and `<other-file>` are modifications of `<base-file>`,
then 'git-merge-file' combines both changes.

A conflict occurs if both `<current-file>` and `<other-file>` have changes
in a common segment of lines. If a conflict is found, 'git-merge-file'
normally outputs a warning and brackets the conflict with lines containing
<<<<<<< and >>>>>>> markers. A typical conflict will look like this:

	<<<<<<< A
	lines in file A
	=======
	lines in file B
	>>>>>>> B

If there are conflicts, the user should edit the result and delete one of
the alternatives.

The exit value of this program is negative on error, and the number of
conflicts otherwise. If the merge was clean, the exit value is 0.

'git-merge-file' is designed to be a minimal clone of RCS 'merge'; that is, it
implements all of RCS 'merge''s functionality which is needed by
linkgit:git[1].


OPTIONS
-------

-L <label>::
	This option may be given up to three times, and
	specifies labels to be used in place of the
	corresponding file names in conflict reports. That is,
	`git merge-file -L x -L y -L z a b c` generates output that
	looks like it came from files x, y and z instead of
	from files a, b and c.

-p::
	Send results to standard output instead of overwriting
	`<current-file>`.

-q::
	Quiet; do not warn about conflicts.


EXAMPLES
--------

git merge-file README.my README README.upstream::

	combines the changes of README.my and README.upstream since README,
	tries to merge them and writes the result into README.my.

git merge-file -L a -L b -L c tmp/a123 tmp/b234 tmp/c345::

	merges tmp/a123 and tmp/c345 with the base tmp/b234, but uses labels
	`a` and `c` instead of `tmp/a123` and `tmp/c345`.


Author
------
Written by Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>


Documentation
--------------
Documentation by Johannes Schindelin and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>,
with parts copied from the original documentation of RCS 'merge'.

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite
