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# Merge and compare item revisions and files

Merge item revisions to combine the updates into a single revision. Compare item revisions and files to view the differences without merging the content.

In this topic:

## Merge item revisions and files

After you specify details for the new item revision, Dimensions CM opens the merge tool to enable you to merge file contents.

Note: For items in a stream, this operation can be performed only in the context of an Update operation.

PRIVILEGES: Revise Item Content.

To merge item revisions:

1. Select what you want to merge:

   To start the merge from... | Description
   --- | ---
   An item revision | In an Items list, select the required item revision, and select Item > Merge.
   An item that has conflicting revisions | Select the item and select Item > Resolve Merge Conflicts. In the Merge wizard, select the revision to use as the starting revision from the list.
   A file in your project work area | Expand the Work Areas node in the My Current Project window, and select the My Area icon. Navigate to the required file, right-click, and select Merge. If the selected file is under the Dimensions CM control, the Merge wizard opens with Item-Based Merge selected, and the appropriate revision is displayed. Otherwise the wizard opens with File-Based Merge selected.
   Any local workfile | Select an item and select Item > Merge. In the Merge wizard, select File-Based Merge and browse to select a file.

2. Verify your selection and click Next.

3. On the Merge Target page, select the option for the output/target, to contain the contents of the merge:

   Create a new revision | Create a new item revision for the merged contents. Select the branch and the revision if you want to override the default values.
   Mark revisions as already merged with selected item | Update the item pedigree to indicate that the selected revisions have been merged without invoking the File Merge tool.
   Merge to a file | Use a local file for the output of the merge. Enter the path to the file, or browse to select the file.

   For the File-Based Merge, only the Merge to a file option is available.

4. Click Next.

5. If you have selected a revision as the starting revision/file, select the other revisions to be included in the merge in the Merge with these revisions list.

6. Select any workfiles to include in the merge by clicking Add... and browsing for the file. Repeat this for any additional files. To remove a file from the list, select the file and click Remove.

   CTRL+click to select and remove multiple files.

7. To continue completing the options for the merge, click Next.

   To complete the merge and launch the merge tool, click Finish. If you have selected a new revision as the target, the next two pages determine some options and attributes for the new item revision that you may need to supply. For example, there may be mandatory attributes for the item type. See Use merge tools.

   If you selected an item revision on the first page of the Merge wizard, the Options page is displayed.

8. Enter the following details:

   - (Optional) For Request ID, enter the IDs of one or more requests, separated by a comma, to relate In Response To the new item revision, or browse to find requests.

   - Choose a status for the new revision from the Status list.

   - To expand item substitution variables, select Expand substitution variables.

   - To perform an automatic merge , provided there are no conflicts, select Automatic Merge.

   - In the Reason for Item Merge field, enter a comment.

9. To dismiss the Merge wizard and start the merge process, click Finish, otherwise click Next >.

10. In the Attributes tab, enter or select the values as needed.

11. To start the merge process, click Finish.

    To verify the details for the merge, click Next. Check the details and click Finish.

    The merge tool opens, unless you selected Automatic Merge and there were no conflicts, or you selected Mark revisions as already merged with selected item.

12. Follow the instructions in Use merge tools.

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## Compare item revisions and files

Compare item revisions and files to view the differences without merging the content.

After you specify details for the new item revision, Dimensions CM invokes the Merge tool (Windows) or the mgdiff tool (UNIX), where you can view the differences between the items or files.

PRIVILEGES: Browse Item.

To compare item revisions:

1. In an Items list, select the item revision or revisions you want to compare. Click the Expand Revisions button if you cannot see the revision you require.

2. Select Item > Compare.

3. To compare the revision with a different revision of the same item, select it from the Another Revision list.

   To compare the revision with a file in your work area, select A workfile and click the browse button to find it.

   To compare the revision with a revision of a different item in the repository, select Another item and click the browse button to find it.

4. Click OK. The merge tool opens.

5. Follow the instructions in Use merge tools.

To compare item revisions in the History dialog box:

1. Select an item and select Item > History.

2. To compare an item revision with its previous revision, right-click the row containing the revision and select Compare with <created from revision>. The merge tool opens, where you can compare the two revisions.

   Tip: If the Created from Rev column is not displayed, right-click a column heading and select Created From Rev. If you right-click a row where Revision and Created from Rev are the same, only the option Compare with... is displayed.

3. To compare an item revision with another revision or file:

   1. Right-click the row containing that revision in the Revision column, and select Compare with... . The Compare Items dialog box opens.

   2. Follow the steps for comparing item revisions earlier in this topic.

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See also:

- Select items
- About comparing and merging files

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