How configure P4Merge as merge and diff tool on Linux

gistfile1.markdown

How configure P4Merge as merge and diff tool on Linux

If you like me use a Linux station to do your development and don't want to use the standard Git diff tool this Gist is for you.

Installation

1. Download installation from Perforce Web Site

https://www.perforce.com/downloads/visual-merge-tool

Or download via command line:

$ curl https://cdist2.perforce.com/perforce/r19.1/bin.linux26x86_64/p4v.tgz -o p4v.tgz

2. Unpack on a directory of your choice

$ sudo mkdir -p /opt/p4merge
$ sudo tar -zxvf p4v.tgz -C /opt/p4merge --strip-components=1

3. Add the directory from p4merge binaries on you PATH variable changing the file ~/.profile:

$ vi ~/.profile
...
export PATH=$PATH:/opt/p4merge/bin
...

4. Update your environment variables:

$ source ~/.profile 

Alternatively you can create a symbolic link inside a directory that alreadly setted on PATH variable of your system, for example:

$ sudo ln -s /opt/p4merge/bin/p4merge /usr/local/bin/p4merge

GIT Configuration

1. Configure your git client to use P4Merge as your diff and merge tool

$ vi ~/.gitconfig
...
[merge]
    # Change to true if you wish to keep a backup of the files that was merged
    keepBackup = false;
    tool = p4merge
[mergetool]
    prompt = false
[mergetool "p4merge"]
    cmd = p4merge "$BASE" "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE" "$MERGED"
    keepTemporaries = false
    trustExitCode = false
    keepBackup = false
[diff]
    tool = p4merge
[difftool]
    prompt = false
[difftool "p4merge"]
    cmd = p4merge "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"
    keepTemporaries = false
    trustExitCode = false
    keepBackup = false
...

2. To verify run

$ git difftool

Enjoy!