Conflicts

Pogo treats conflicts as first-class citizens, allowing you to push conflicted changes and resolve them when convenient. This approach reduces merge anxiety and enables more flexible collaboration.

Philosophy

Traditional decentralized version control systems block progress when conflicts occur. Pogo takes a different approach:

• Push with conflicts: Continue working even with unresolved conflicts
• Defer resolution: Resolve conflicts when you have time and context
• Collaborate on conflicts: Others can help resolve conflicts
• Clear tracking: Always know what conflicts exist

How Conflicts Occur

Conflicts happen when:

1. Two changes modify the same part of a text file differently
2. One change deletes a file another modifies
3. Binary files are changed in both parent changes
4. Directory structure changes conflict

Example Scenario

Merging change1 and change2 creates a conflict.

This conflict can be resolved in the same or a new change. In this example, a new change is created, baset on the merge. The conflict is resolved in this new change.

The conflict is still stored in the history.

Conflict Markers

Pogo uses standard conflict markers in text files:

<<<<<<<<< change1
hello, pogo
=========
hi, world change2
>>>>>>>>> B

Marker Components

• <<<<<<<<<: Start of first change, followed by the name of the change
• ========= Separator between changes
• >>>>>>>>>: Start of second change, followed by the name of the change

Log shows 💥 if there are conflicts in a change:

$ pogo log
  ●   KPHRpdJnwyPcLH4a
  │   hi, pogo
  ○   DKJbFrEkyhLpnCm3 💥
  │   merge
○─┤   RJcALPmeLceea4hL
│ │   hello, pogo
│ ╰─○ wEpaCJnAELNrDFyk
│   │ hi, world
╰─○─╯ hfEJKLREKxhDfK4b
      hello, world

The merge DKJbFrEkyhLpnCm3 contains the conflict markers:

<<<<<<<<< RJcALPmeLceea4hL
hello, pogo
=========
hi, world
>>>>>>>>> wEpaCJnAELNrDFyk

Conflict Types

Text File Conflicts

Text merge can be performed on any unicode text file (UTF-8, UTF-16 LE, UTF-16 BE, UTF-32 LE, UTF-32 BE). On conflict you will get the Git conflict markers you are used to.

Binary File Conflicts

When binary files conflict, You will get all of the files. They are renamed to signal the conflict and where each file came from.

Semantic Conflicts

Code that doesn’t conflict textually but breaks:

• Function signature changes
• Incompatible logic changes
• No automatic detection
• Requires testing to find

Pogo doesn’t notice semantic conflicts, you will need other ways to find them.

Best Practices

Prevention

Communicate Changes

• Describe changes clearly
• Coordinate on shared files
• Push frequently

Modular Code

• Small, focused files
• Clear separation of concerns
• Minimal overlap between features

During Conflicts

Don’t Panic

• Conflicts are normal
• Take time to understand
• Ask for help if needed: collaborative merging

Understand Context

• Read both versions fully
• Understand the intent
• Consider the bigger picture

Test After Resolution

• Ensure code still works
• Run test suite
• Check for semantic conflicts

Team Workflows

Conflict Owner

• Person who creates merge owns resolution
• Can delegate to subject expert
• Documents resolution reasoning

Cascading Conflicts

Conflicts can propagate:

Conflict Recovery

If resolution goes wrong:

# Revert to pre-resolution state
pogo edit previous-change

# Start fresh
pogo new

# Try different resolution

Next Steps

• Learn Basic workflows
• Understand Changes
• Explore Bookmarks
• See Commands reference