Rule-based Processing Concepts

Rule-based processing is a post-processing step applied to an analyzed merge result (ANALYZED_DELTAV2) that automatically resolves simple, unambiguous changes without requiring human intervention.

How It Works

After the merge analysis step classifies each change as add, delete, or modify, rule-based processing applies a set of resolution rules:

Simple add (a single-branch addition with no != in the deltaV2 attribute): automatically accepted.
Simple delete (a single-branch deletion with no !=): automatically removed.
Conflict (contains !=, meaning multiple versions differ): left unresolved for human review.
Modify: left unresolved.

The result is a RULE_PROCESSED_DELTAV2 document where simple changes have been collapsed and complex changes (conflicts) remain marked with their deltaV2 attributes.

Result Types

Result Type	Description
`RULE_PROCESSED_DELTAV2`	Auto-resolves simple adds and deletes; leaves conflicts
`SIMPLIFIED_RULE_PROCESSED_DELTAV2`	Same resolution, but in simplified DeltaV2 format

Command Line Example

Bash

java -jar deltanova-year.x.y.z.jar merge concurrent \
  ancestor ancestor.xml \
  anna anna.xml \
  ben ben.xml \
  result.xml \
  ResultType=RULE_PROCESSED_DELTAV2

Java API Example

Java

ConcurrentMerge merge = new ConcurrentMerge();
merge.setResultType(ConcurrentMergeResultType.RULE_PROCESSED_DELTAV2);
merge.extractAll(ancestorFile, inputFiles, resultFile);

Configuring Custom Rules

Advanced rule configuration allows you to define XPath-based conditions for additional auto-resolution. Rules are specified in an XML configuration file:

XML

<rules xmlns="http://www.deltaxml.com/ns/merge/rules">
  <rule>
    <condition>@deltaxml:edit-type = 'add' and not(contains(@deltaxml:deltaV2, '!='))</condition>
    <action>accept</action>
  </rule>
</rules>

Pass the rules file to the API using the setRulesFile() method or the RulesFile command-line parameter.