Introducing Mercurial

=====================

Mercurial_ manages a distributed repository containing revisions

trees (each revision indicates the changes required to obtain the

next, and so on). Locally, we have a repository containing revisions

tree, and a working directory. It is possible

to put in its working directory, one of the versions of its local repository,

modify and then push it in its repository. 

It is also possible to get revisions from another repository or to export

its own revisions from the local repository to another repository.

In contrast to CVS/Subversion, we usually create a repository by

project to manage.

In a collaborative development, we usually create a central repository

accessible to all developers of the project. These central repository is used

as a reference. According to its needs, then everyone can have a local repository,

that you will have to synchronize with the central repository from time to time.

Major commands

``````````````

* Create a local repository::

     hg clone ssh://orion//home/src/private/rep

* See the contents of the local repository (graphical tool in Tk)::

     hgview

* Add a sub-directory or file in the current directory::

     hg add rep

* Move to the working directory a specific revision (or last

  revision) from the local repository::

     hg update [identifier-revision]

     hg up [identifier-revision]

* Get in its local repository, the tree of revisions contained in a

  remote repository (this does not change the local directory)::

     hg pull ssh://orion//home/src/private/rep

     hg pull-u ssh://orion//home/src/private/rep # equivalent to pull + update

* See what are the heads of branches of the local repository if a `pull`

  returned a new branch::

     hg heads

* Submit the working directory in the local repository (and create a new

  revision)::

     hg commit

     hg ci

* Merge with the mother revision of local directory, another revision from

  the local respository (the new revision will be then two mothers

  revisions)::

     hg merge identifier-revision

* Export to a remote repository, the tree of revisions in its content

  local respository (this does not change the local directory)::

     hg push ssh://orion//home/src/private/rep

* See what local revisions are not in another repository::

     hg outgoing ssh://orion//home/src/private/rep

* See what are the revisions of a repository not found locally::

     hg incoming ssh://orion//home/src/private/rep

* See what is the revision of the local repository which has been taken out 

  from the working directory and amended::

     hg parent

* See the differences between the working directory and the mother revision

  of the local repository, possibly to submit them in the local repository::

     hg diff

     hg commit-tool

     hg ct

Best Practices

``````````````

* Think of making a `hg pull -u` regularly, and particularly before

   a `hg commit`.

* Think of a `hg push` when your repository contains a version

  relatively stable of your changes.

* If a `hg pull u` created a new branch head:

   1. identify its identifier with `hg head`

   2. merge with `hg merge`

   3. `hg ci`

   4. `hg push`