Make the base pane read-only
When comparing a file against its base in version control, it makes sense for the base pane to be read-only. This way it makes it obvious which file is editable. Same with merging - the mine and theirs should be read-only and only the result file should be editable.
![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8593ec44f2ec81e3740bb46f27fb7b46?size=40&default=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.uvcdn.com%2Fpkg%2Fadmin%2Ficons%2Fuser_70-6bcf9e08938533adb9bac95c3e487cb2a6d4a32f890ca6fdc82e3072e0ea0368.png)
-
George Birbilis commented
I was just merging a WPF and a Silverlight version of some code together and editing both sides was invaluable to me, so this should be easy to turn off if set by default
-
Tristan Grimmer commented
All three should be editable... sometimes you want to merge 2 files into the base... sometimes during an integration you may want to 'merge a diff' from one codeline into another. In short, there are some real-world situations where I wouldn't want my tool restricting me. Let perforce / scm decide what files are read-only. The question then becomes how will you deal with the RO attribute. The answer should be a choice between a) allow editing in memory and ask when saving what to do (overwrite/cancel) (that's how I have my VS set) or b) Ask what do do on first edit. Visual Studio puts a little lock symbol by the filename. Please don't restrict editing ability based on the arbitrary 'slot' a file is loaded into!
-
Neolisk commented
Mr Anonymous, do you seriously believe that adding an option is restricting the capabilities?
-
Anonymous commented
I would complain if this is removed. Being able to alter the base side of a diff is incredibly useful at times, such as with large, generated XML files. Being able to run the Edit.FormatSelection in Visual Studio is a dream.
I wouldn't mind seeing this as an option, since clearly some people want it, but I'd like to point out that this is investing effort into restricting the capabilities of the tool.
-
Chad Kittel commented
Or at least make this an option, which is on by default (meaning read-only by default). I could see someone complaining if the feature is completely removed.