Elektra: How-To: kdb merge

Elektra 0.8.24

How-To: kdb merge

## Introduction

The kdb tool allows users to access and perform functions on the Elektra Key Database from the command line. We added a new command to this very useful tool, the `merge` command. This command allows a user to perform a three-way merge of KeySets from the `kdb` tool.

The command to use this tool is:

kdb merge [options] ourpath theirpath basepath resultpath

The standard naming scheme for a three-way merge consists of `ours`, `theirs`, and `base`:

- `ours` refers to the local copy of a file
- `theirs` refers to a remote copy
- `base` refers to their common ancestor.

This works very similarly for KeySets, especially ones that consist of mounted configuration files.

For mounted configuration files:

- `ours` should be the user's copy
- `theirs` would be the maintainers copy,
- `base` would be the previous version of the maintainer's copy.

If the user is just trying to accomplish a three-way merge using any two arbitrary keysets that share a base, it doesn't matter which ones are defined as `ours` or `theirs` as long as they use the correct base KeySet. In `kdb merge`, `ourpath`, `theirpath`, and `basepath` work just like `ours`, `theirs`, and `base` except each one represents the root of a KeySet. The argument `resultpath` is pretty self-explanatory, it is just where you want the result of the merge to be saved under. It's worth noting, `resultpath` should be empty before attempting a merge, otherwise there can be unintended consequences.

## Options

As for the options, there are a few basic options:

- `-i`, `--interactive`: which attempts the merge in an interactive way
- `-t`, `--test`: which tests the proposed merge and informs you about possible conflicts
- `-f`, `--force`: which overwrites any Keys in `resultpath`

### Strategies

Additionally there is an option to specify a merge strategy, which is very important.

The option for strategy is:

- `-s <name>`, `--strategy <name>`: which is used to specify a strategy to use in case of a conflict

The current list of strategies are:

- `preserve`: the merge will fail if a conflict is detected
- `ours`: the merge will use our version during a conflict
- `theirs`: the merge will use their version during a conflict
- `base`: the merge will use the base version during a conflict

If no strategy is specified, the merge will default to the preserve strategy as to not risk making the wrong decision. If any of the other strategies are specified, when a conflict is detected, merge will use the Key specified by the strategy (`ours`, `theirs`, or `base`) for the resulting Key.

## Basic Example

Basic Usage:

kdb merge system/hosts/ours system/hosts/theirs system/hosts/base system/hosts/result

## Examples Using Strategies

Here are examples of the same KeySets being merged using different strategies. The KeySets are mounted using the `simpleini` file, the left side of '=' is the name of the Key, the right side is its string value.

We start with the base KeySet, `system/base`:

        key1=1
        key2=2
        key3=3
        key4=4
        key5=5

Here is our KeySet, `system/ours`:

        key1=apple
        key2=2
        key3=3
        key5=fish

Here is their KeySet, `system/theirs`:

        key1=1
        key2=pie
        key4=banana
        key5=5

Now we will examine the result KeySet with the different strategies.

### Preserve

kdb merge -s preserve system/ours system/theirs system/base system/result

The merge will fail because of a conflict for `key4` since `key4` was deleted in our KeySet and edited in their KeySet. Since we used preserve, the merge fails and the result KeySet is not saved.

### Ours

kdb merge -s ours system/ours system/theirs system/base system/result

The result KeySet, system/result will be:

        key1=apple
        key2=pie
        key5=fish

Because the conflict of `key4` (it was deleted in `ours` but changed in `theirs`) is solved by using our copy thus deleting the key.

### Theirs

kdb merge -s theirs system/ours system/theirs system/base system/result

The result KeySet, `system/result` will be:

        key1=apple
        key2=pie
        key4=banana
        key5=fish

Here, the conflict of `key4` is solved by using their copy, thus `key4=banana`.

### Base

kdb merge -s base system/ours system/theirs system/base system/result

The result KeySet, `system/result` will be:

        key1=apple
        key2=pie
        key4=4
        key5=5

The same conflict is found in `key4`, but here we use the `base` version to solve it so `key4=4`.