VisualSVN VS2010 merge failing

Question

Our company is migrating from VSS to SVN as part of an upgrade from VS2005 to VS2010. I am evaluating the VisualSVN implementation – VisualSVN Server looking after the repository, and using VisualSVN Client inside VS2010. Our work is predominantly Web Application Projects.

I am having real problems merging a branch back to the trunk

Here is the scenario (all SVN actions being performed with the VS2010 VisualSVN plugin):

• In a given WAP, I have created a branch from the /trunk called /branches/test and configured it to run under local IIS in VS2010 with the branch held on my HDD away from the repository (which is on a server)
• I’ve edited the homepage in /branches/test to add HELLO WORLD to the WAP’s default.aspx and committed it to /branches/test
• I can verify through the VisualSVN browser, that the trunk version doesn’t have the HELLO WORLD, but the branch one does
• I now switch to the trunk in VS2010 I get a warning “There are changes in the working copy. It is recommended to commit or revert them before switching” – an additional commit just tells me nothing has changed (which is right) so I continue
• Now in the trunk, I confirm there is nothing to commit just to be sure
• Still in the trunk, I select “Merge…” followed by “Reintegrate a branch”, set the From URL as [path]/branches/test and the Merge Depth as “Working Copy”
• I get an error, “Cannot reintegrate into a working copy that has local modifications".

Have I got something fundamentally wrong in my understanding of branching here, is my process flawed along the way or is this a feature of VisualSVN?

Thanks

Answer 1

I've found the problem - it was versioning the solution file, which wasn't showing in VS 2010 by default. Therefore I did have uncommitted changes on the local working copy which I wasn't aware of (the solution file).

I'm not sure of the best way forward here. Should I exclude the solution file (.sln) or version it? My worry is that if it's excluded and I add a project in a branch and merge back to the trunk, when the next person branches from the trunk will they run into problems (as the solution file in their own working copy will not include the new project)?

(I'm new to StackOverflow - should this be posted as a separate question?)

Answer 2

Sounds like a bug in this VisualSVN client thing. Normal Subversion doesn't behave like this.