Branching and Merging Strategies

Question

I have been tasked with coming up with a strategy for branching, merging and releasing over the next 6 months.

The complication comes from the fact the we will be ru

Answer 1

This is the single best source control pattern that I have come across. It emphasizes the importance of leaving the trunk free of any junk (no junk in the trunk). Development should be done in development branches, and regular merges (after the code has been tested) should be made back into the trunk (Pic 1), but the model also allows for source to be patched while still under development (Pic 2). I definitely recommend reading the post in its entirety, to completely understand.

     Pic 1

     Pic 2

Edit: The pictures are definitely confusing without words. I could explain, but I would basically be copying the original author. Having said that, I probably should have selected a better picture to describe the merge process, so hopefully this helps. I'd still recommend reading the post, however: