Keywords: Mercurial | version control | clean working directory | discard changes | purge extension
Abstract: Based on the best answer from Stack Overflow, this article discusses how to efficiently discard all local changes and untracked files in a Mercurial repository to obtain a clean copy of the latest revision. It covers the use of hg pull, hg update with the -C flag, and the purge extension, with detailed steps and code examples.
Introduction
In Mercurial version control, developers often need to revert the working directory to the state of the latest revision, especially after build processes that modify files. This article addresses the problem of discarding local changes and untracked files based on the best answer from the provided Q&A data.
Core Solution
The most efficient method, as per the best answer, involves three commands: hg pull, hg update -r MY_BRANCH -C, and hg purge. The -C flag in the update command discards all local changes before updating, while purge removes untracked files.
Detailed Steps
First, use hg pull to fetch the latest changes from the remote repository. Then, update to the desired branch with hg update -r MY_BRANCH -C to discard local modifications. Finally, if untracked files remain, use hg purge to clean them up, ensuring the purge extension is enabled in the Mercurial configuration.
hg pull
hg update -r MY_BRANCH -C
hg purgeAdditional Insights
Other answers suggest using hg up -C alone, but this may not pull the latest changes or specify a branch, making it less comprehensive. The combination of commands provides a robust solution for maintaining a clean working directory.
Conclusion
By following these steps, developers can efficiently discard all modifications and obtain a pristine working directory aligned with the latest revision, without the need for a full repository clone, thereby improving workflow efficiency.