TFS always prompts to resolve conflicts on files that have no conflicts!

Question

I have 3 files that are always producing merge conflicts when I am trying to merge between the baseline and my development branch in either direction. When the merge tool opens, there are no conflicts in the files and I just click ok. But it will happen again next time I merge. What can I do to get TFS to realize that NOTHING HAS CHANGED! It is getting frustrating. Thanks.

Answer 1

Common reasons include:

• The previous merge between the two items was resolved AcceptMerge (instead of AcceptTheirs). An AcceptMerge is treated as a new reverse candidate -- even if the contents were automerged successfully -- unless the source and target are byte-for-byte identical.
• The source item has been renamed or undeleted.
• The target file was edited & subsequently rolled back.

While these cases seem innocuous, TFS errs on the conservative side by bringing them to your attention. If you only care about cases where the items' path or contents are truly in conflict with one another, use the AutoMerge button. To prevent these types of conflicts from cascading indefinitely, choose the AcceptTheirs resolution (aka "copy item from source" in the 2008 client UI).